Jesse Marsch has responded to criticism of his coaching from former Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce.
Leeds faced relegation from the Premier League at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season, marking the end of their decline following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure.
Allardyce, who was in charge for the last four games of that disappointing season, has pointed fingers at his predecessors, Javi Gracia and Marsch.
“Bielsa had the highest physical performance metrics in the Premier League; Leeds were number one,” Allardyce said during an appearance on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
“So when I took over at Leeds, I thought: ‘At least they are fit.’
“But Leeds ranked in the bottom three for fitness. The two managers after Bielsa let physical fitness drop to among the worst in the league.”
“I expected that if we were in the top six, we would at least have enough fitness to organize ourselves and compete.”
“I recall during my time at West Brom, Leeds under Bielsa were still playing intensely in the last 20 minutes as they had in the first 20.”
In response, Marsch took to social media to share data showing Leeds ranked first in the league for distance covered, as well as in high-speed sprints during his tenure.
He expressed his disbelief after Allardyce’s comments, simply saying, “Really?”
Responding to a critic, he stated: “Game week 1-20. Learn to read, pal.”
Marsch acknowledged one user who reassured him that he didn’t need to respond to the detractors, saying, “It’s alright, Jesse. You don’t need to engage. They aren’t worth it.”
When another Leeds fan remarked that nobody cared about their opinions since relegation had its consequences, Marsch countered, “Except we managed to keep the team up.”
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Marsch’s Leeds successfully avoided relegation on the final day of the 2021-22 season by defeating Brentford, thanks to goals from Raphinha and Jack Harrison.
This victory became memorable for Raphinha celebrating shirtless with the away supporters before making a transfer to Barcelona.
Allardyce, a former England manager, has not taken on a new role since his time with Leeds. Marsch, on the other hand, is currently the head coach of Canada as they prepare for the 2026 World Cup, which they will co-host.