Mens

Jesse Marsch: They are disciplined and organised

Head coach ahead of Watford.

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Jesse Marsch has spoken with the media ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip, away at Watford.

The Leeds United head coach knows it will be another tough match at Vicarage Road, against Roy Hodgson’s side, a coach he has a huge amount of respect for.

Marsch began with an update on team news, ahead of the weekend.

He said: “Tyler Roberts, Junior Firpo and Patrick Bamford are all making good progress.

“Joffy [Joe Gelhardt] hasn’t trained every day this week, but we think he’ll train tomorrow and be available for weekend. In terms of the game, we will evaluate him as we go.

“Jamie Shackleton is almost ready to train but not quite yet, but most other players, maybe all, are available and ready to go.”

The Whites drew against the Saints at Elland Road on Saturday, in a closely fought encounter. The match saw the return of both Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips, so the head coach was asked about his thoughts on their performances.

“Liam Cooper put a courageous 90 plus minute performance in [against Southampton] and was one of our best in the match,” Marsch explained.

“He matched tactically what I wanted from the game, so for his first run out it was impressive for him to adapt so easily.

“Having Kalvin on the pitch helped settle the game down, I heard him say after he felt he didn’t do much, but just by being on the pitch for us his presence meant a lot.

“We’ve used this week to get them both more to 100 per cent and they’ll be ready to contribute on Saturday. I think both have a big affect on our group, both on the pitch and off.”

The Hornets are currently 19th in the table and eight points behind Leeds, but with plenty of matches remaining and points on offer, Marsch is aware of the challenges Hodgson’s side will pose.

“I think Watford are a really disciplined group defensively,” United’s head coach stated.

“They don’t want to give much away, they stay organised and compact, sometimes defending deep, but they are aggressive and can be lethal in transition.

“We have to be aware Watford are most dangerous when we have the ball, we have to make sure we’re balanced so we don’t allow their attacking players space to run at out defensive group

“It’s tricky to prepare for them as they rotate their group a lot. Watford are low in the table and fighting relegation, but Roy has done a good job, they are disciplined and organised, it won’t be an easy match for us.

“I’ve watched him [Roy Hodgson] for years in a lot of different places he has been. He’s had incredible career, the passion he has is something to admire. I have so much respect for the career he’s had and what he’s accomplished.”

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