American Jesse Marsch has taken charge at Leeds following Marcelo Bielsa's sacking.

The popular Bielsa departed yesterday after a 4-0 defeat to Tottenham left the Whites hurtling towards the Premier League drop zone. 

And former FC Salzburg and RB Leipzig boss Marsch, 48, is the man tasked with guiding the Yorkshire club to safety. 

So what can the Leeds faithful expect from the new boss? 

With a trip to Leicester next up on Saturday, LiveScore take an in-depth look at what Marsch will bring to Elland Road. 

Big shoes to fill

Even when things appeared to be at their worst during the final weeks of Bielsa’s tenure, you would still struggle to find a Leeds fan with a bad word to say about the Argentine.

The 66-year-old tactician will always have legendary status in the city for guiding them back to the Premier League after a 16-year exile — and for the unique way in which he did so.

With a street and even a beer named after him in Leeds, Bielsa won over fans due to his behaviour off the field just as much as his entertaining style of play on it.

And Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani summed up the mood when commenting on the two parties having to part ways. 

He said: "This has been the toughest decision I have had to make during my tenure at Leeds, taking into account all the success Marcelo has had at the club.

"With Marcelo as our head coach, we had three incredible campaigns and the good times returned to Elland Road. He changed the culture of the club and brought a winning mentality to us all."

The new man will be in no doubt about the big shoes he has to fill. 

Fast-paced football

On paper, Marsch — known for his high-pressing and possession-based brand of football — seems a good fit.

He wants his players to adopt a similar attacking style but there is a more pragmatic foundation to his tactics compared to Bielsa’s gung-ho methods.

After three years in charge of MLS side New York Red Bulls, Marsch grew his reputation in Europe during a successful spell at Salzburg.

Taking over in 2019 following a stint as Ralf Rangnick’s assistant at Leipzig, Marsch led the Red Bulls to two straight league and cup triumphs in Austria.

And he has suggested Manchester United's interm boss was one of the biggest influences in his development as a coach.

On his time working with Rangnick, Marsch told The Coaches' Voice: "We talked a lot about counter-pressing, playing in transition.

"Getting to know him really introduced a lot of details and deeper thinking into the way I think about football."

Marsch's big move back to Leipzig to succeed Julian Nagelsmann ended in failure after just five months, so he will head into his new role determined to prove his worth.

Stopping the slide

The influence of Rangnick is certainly clear in the way Marsch has set up his teams at other clubs.

The 4-2-2-2 formation Rangnick tried and then ditched at Old Trafford has been Marsch’s preferred set-up throughout his career.

No longer will Leeds deploy a man-marking system as they did under Bielsa but rather they will look to dominate areas of the field with a counter-pressing approach.

And while United’s evolution under Rangnick has been slow, he has certainly made them a harder team to beat.

Before the German tactician took over, United were conceding goals at a rate of 1.71 per 90 minutes compared to just 0.77 in the 15 Premier League games since.

A similar impact from Marsch at Leeds, who are conceding at an astonishing rate of 2.31 per game this season, would be just what the doctor ordered.

Immediate impact needed

Leeds chiefs hope Marsch’s alignment to his predecessor's tactics will allow the players to quickly adapt to their new man.

After all, they will need him to make an instant impact with just 12 games to secure the club's top-flight status for another season.

With just five wins this term and a league-high 60 goals conceded leaving the Whites just two points above the relegation places, he is coming into a desperate situation.

It may have been tempting to turn to Sam Allardyce — an early shout for the role — or another survival specialist but director of football Victor Orta clearly believes Marsch is the ideal candidate.

With no experience in the Premier League or even of a relegation battle, it is undoubtedly a gamble.

The Foxes are first up for the new boss before Leeds face relegation rivals in Norwich, Watford and Brentford between now and the end of the season.

Their future can be exciting under Marsch if he is given time to implement his philosophy.

But time is exactly what Leeds do not have and stopping the goals from going in as easily as they have been will be his first priority.