Soccer (Football)
Kicking up a storm with Jesse Marsch
Jesse Marsch is the US-born head coach of Leeds United and former coach of German Bundesliga team RB Leipzig – here he explains why he welcomes chaos on the pitch and in his life.
Jesse Marsch is an extraordinary football coach and not only because he’s from Wisconsin, USA – a place where ‘soccer’ has a lot less history than sports such as basketball and ice hockey.
The former head coach of German Bundesliga team RB Leipzig began his career as a player in Major League Soccer (MLS) after graduating from Ivy League college Princeton with a history degree.
He spent 14 seasons in MLS, winning three league titles, before being hired as assistant US national team coach in 2010. Following a spell with Montréal Impact, arguably his biggest break came in 2015 when he took charge of MLS side New York Red Bulls. In his first season the team enjoyed a club-record 18 victories and Marsch was named MLS Coach of the Year.
Then in 2018, he took a giant leap into the unknown. Moving to Europe, Marsch spent a year as assistant to Ralf Rangnick at RB Leipzig before stepping up to the head role at Red Bull Salzburg. The team won two Austrian Bundesliga titles during his reign and earned acclaim with their attractive style of play in the Champions League. But in June 2021 the head coach’s job at Leipzig – runners-up the season before in the German Bundesliga – came calling.
Now he faces his biggest challenge yet. But the 48-year-old American has built a reputation for stepping outside his comfort zone, even learning French to coach at Montréal and German at Leipzig. Here, Marsch reveals how he embraces chaos and copes with the 'druck'…
The Red Bulletin: How did it feel to return to RB Leipzig?
Jesse Marsch: Great. I wasn’t just assistant coach to Ralf Rangnick for a year; as New York Red Bulls coach I often came to Leipzig. I know the club set-up and the people. I had a picture in my mind of how I could take the next step forward with the team.
You’re known for thriving in unpredictable situations…
My head never works faster than when there’s chaos all around. When things are hectic and confusing, you have to come up with new solutions. But I also understand that a lot of people in Germany like having everything under control – a perfect schedule, all tasks clearly delegated.
Complex situations offer opportunities for self-development
How do you square that circle?
By finding a balance that suits everyone. And by instilling a mindset that we’re constantly learning. Every match has unpredictable aspects. The player has to understand every situation while being able to react to it physically, at full speed and power.
Has that been the case in your own career – chaos, then clarity?
I’ve learned a lot when times are tough. At Salzburg we had to realise that winning doesn’t always mean progress. Everyone had to take on board that complex situations offer opportunities for self-development.
Do you mean losing matches?
In February 2020, the media were reporting we were mid-crisis. We’d won only one of our last six games and we were out of the Europa League, but that set a process in motion. I began to understand how Austrian football functioned in the winter; the ideas needed to win games on bad pitches in bad weather.
Have you developed a European way of seeing things?
Before I could speak German, I was at a game in Wolfsburg with [then team coordinator at RB Leipzig] Jochen Schneider. I watched an interview with a player and they used the word 'druck' about 15 times and so did the coach. So I asked Jochen what it meant. “Pressure,” he said. “As in going in hard in football?” I asked. “No, in society,” he replied. “Everyone feels they must be a success.” Pressure is relative. If you come to the ground and only talk about pressure, you can’t play football or be the coach with a clear head.
Smart mind: Jesse Marsch studied American history at Princeton
© Julian Baumann
You travelled the world for six months after your first coaching gig. How did that help?
I realised that more than 99 percent of people have zero interest in Major League Soccer. They don’t care. People have totally different pressure – life pressure, not football pressure. The journey taught me to set the idea of pressure and success to one side.
Fallibility means being able to laugh at yourself
What have been some unexpected sources of coaching inspiration?
When I was still at college I’d speak to coaches in other sports. I learned a lot from rowing. Rowers are out on the water at 5am; they take things beyond the limit. When they cross the line, all eight rowers literally collapse. I want a football team with the same mentality.
How are you instilling togetherness at RB Leipzig?
Speaking German, for a start. It would be easier for me to speak English – most of the players are better at English than German – but we’re a German team, so everyone has to adapt. My German is good enough to be understood.
Does a sense of humour help, too?
Fallibility means being able to laugh at yourself. There are times when we’re fully focused on our work, but we should always have fun and laugh with and at each other. Yes, a sense
of humour definitely helps.
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