Leeds players were ‘OVER-TRAINED’ under Marcelo Bielsa, says manager Jesse Marsch as he blames his predecessor for injury issues

Marcelo Bielsa’s philosophy has earned many plaudits over the years, but Jesse Marsch has blasted the fabled Argentine for Leeds United’s injury woes.

Leeds have been plagued by fitness issues throughout the season with star striker Patrick Bamford, pivotal midfielder Kalvin Phillips and captain Liam Cooper having missed large chunks of it as a result.

Bielsa’s ‘murder-ball’ tactics in training helped Leeds return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence last term, but his methods didn’t work this year as they stared relegation in the face.

The popular Argentine was sacked in February and replaced by Marsch who has steadied the ship with the Elland Road outfit nine points clear of relegation currently in 16th, although everyone below them has a game in hand.

And reflecting on the club’s health, Marsch wasn’t afraid to hold back on why so many key players have been out injured on the sidelines this campaign.

Marsch: Leeds players were over-trained

‘The injury issue, for me, had a lot to do with the training methodology,’ he told talkSPORT when speaking about his predecessor Bielsa.

‘These players were over-trained and it led to them being physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically in a difficult place to recover from week to week, game to game.

‘I have a very specific methodology with the way I work and I’ve had a reputation for high running data, but also being having a healthy, fit, strong players – who can meet the standards of the game we want.’

He continued: ‘You could see it in their faces. You could see in the 15th minute that some of them were already at the max – and that shouldn’t be the case.

‘I know there were a lot of games and guys had to play over and over again because of injuries. I find that in this sport, you have to have a fit team, but the more your best players are healthy and able to perform at a high level, that’s how you create success.

‘I’ve worked very carefully through methodologies on how we train, how we play, and how that all fits together.’