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Phil Hay gives verdict on ‘vulnerable’ Leeds United squad with Aston Villa and Leicester comparison

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Image for Phil Hay gives verdict on ‘vulnerable’ Leeds United squad with Aston Villa and Leicester comparison

Leeds United sit 16th in The Premier League following a 2-0 defeat to Leicester City on Thursday night.

The pressure is mounting on Jesse Marsch‘s side ahead of Sunday afternoon’s clash against Fulham, as the Whites remain without a win since August’s 3-0 win over Chelsea.

The run without a win now stretches to seven league games, with some labelling the crucial match as a must-win fixture at Elland Road.

Fulham beat Aston Villa 3-0 in mid-week and the game saw the end of Steven Gerrard’s tenure as the Villa manager. Some Leeds fans would expect the same fate to befall Marsch should his side fail to win again on Sunday.

However, The Athletic‘s Phil Hay believes the situation is different for Leeds, here’s what he had to say…

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Jesse Marsch started his senior playing career with Chicago Fire.

Hay was speaking on the Phil Hay Show, and he believes the pressure is on Leeds more than sides such as Aston Villa and Leicester City when comparing the quality of the sides pound-for-pound.

They have superior squad quality in his eyes, and a change of manager may bring about a change in fortune for them, he said: “Looking at Villa’s squad – I think there are good players there. I think that about Leicester, if I’m quite honest.

“They’ve had a dismal start but there’s some really good players at Leicester.”

Hay says the Leeds board are in a difficult position as they can’t compete with the comparative quality of some of the sides around them, who could easily improve due to the strength in depth of their squad, he said: “They feel vulnerable, I think that’s fair to say.”

A changing of manager would not change the longer-term issues around the negligence towards certian areas of the squad, Hay added: “I don’t think it’s a complete team at Leeds, I don’t think it’s a complete squad. You’ve seen that up-front, you’ve seen that on the left side of defence.

“I think they’ve been vulnerable since the start of (Marcelo) Bielsa’s last season.”

Should Leeds fail to beat Fulham, it may force the club’s hand into a changing of managers.

The World Cup is a good time to reset and allow a different manager to instil their ideas into the players, as it acts as a mini-break and extra pre-season in the middle of the current campaign.

The fans away at Leicester in particular showed signs of things turning, and so results may have to change quickly in order for Marsch to retain his position: a tall order at this stage.

Should Marsch have been sacked?

Marsch in

Marsch in

Marsch out

Marsch out

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