How Southampton FC could look under expected new manager Jesse Marsch

Following the decision to sack Nathan Jones on Sunday, Saints have moved quickly in their search for a replacement and Marsch looks set to be that choice after positive talks were held earlier in the week.

The American arrives on the South Coast a little more than a week after he was sacked from his previous post as Leeds United manager. The move for someone only just dismissed by one of Saints’ relegation rivals has certainly and understandably raised eyebrows but the club’s interest in Marsch predates his mixed spell at Leeds.

READ MORE: New manager must do what Jones never could - find consistency in giant Saints squad

Formerly of the Red Bull network - just like former manager Ralph Hasenhuttl - Marsch began his journey as head coach of the New York Red Bulls where he was an instant success winning MLS Coach of the Year.

It was clear from the start that Marsch’s stock would soon surpass the domestic level of American football and he did indeed make the move to Europe in July 2018, joining Red Bull Leipzig as assistant to Ralf Ragnick.

Marsch was largely tasked with taking first-team training in his role alongside Ragnick and another successful season saw him granted his maiden opportunity to manage on this continent with another Red Bull entity, this time Salzburg.

After two seasons in Austria - where he oversaw back-to-back league and cup doubles - Marsch returned to Leipzig, this time not as anyone’s assistant, but as the boss. For just about the first time in his young coaching career, Marsch didn’t taste instant success, sticking around for just 21 games before he and the club chose to mutually part ways.

But his hiatus lasted less than three months before he was back in the hot-seat, this time on English shores with Leeds. Given the extremely tough task of both replacing hero Marcelo Bielsa and keeping Leeds in the Premier League, Marsch’s side entered the final day of the season mired in the drop-zone.

But victory at Brentford ensured their survival and gave Marsch an impressive green tick on his CV - something that no doubt will have been attractive to the Saints hierarchy as they aim to stave off relegation.

Jesse Marsch pictured with former Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl last season. (Image: PA)

It’s evident from Marsch’s career path why he was deemed an attractive option by Sport Republic. The 48-year-old’s coaching philosophy was reared in Red Bull’s high-pressing all-action system, something Saints had at one point under Hasenhuttl and something that has been a staple of Rasmus Ankersen’s former club - Brentford’s - rise.

Additionally, he provides a unique combination of experience in situations where he was required to get immediate results as well as situations where the focus was set more on long-term building.

Largely through smart recruitment and placing trust in young players, Marsch found success over extended periods with New York Red Bulls and RB Salzburg. But needing to hit the ground running and with no room for error, he managed to guide Leeds to enough points last season to keep them in the top flight.

This bodes well for the state of flux Saints find themselves in. Ideally, Marsch comes in and performs the same kind of CPR revival job he did at Elland Road last season. But if not, he appears well-placed to lead a rebuild from the division below.

So what could Marsch’s Saints actually look like?

Well, as discussed yesterday, any new manager arriving at St Mary’s faces a huge task to sort through a massive group of players and figure out the team and style that gives Saints the best chance of taking concrete results.

Constantly flip-flopping, it was something Jones never managed to decipher and with 29 players at his disposal - not even taking Tino Livramento into consideration - it’s easy to understand why. But it led to the identity-less blob that could not stop losing.

As is the case with every change in management, some players will benefit from Jones’s departure while others will suffer. That is certainly the case when it comes to someone with as clearly defined of a style as Marsch has displayed in his career thus far.

Nathan Jones was sacked by Saints after just eight league games. (Image: Stuart Martin)

Usually opting to set-up in a 4-2-3-1, 4-2-2-2, or 4-3-3, Marsch’s system has notable similarities to Hasenhuttl’s. Unlike most Premier League teams where the aim is to build possession and curate attacks with long periods on the ball, Marsch and Hasenhuttl have both been defined by their willingness to give up the ball.

That doesn’t mean Marsch wants to sit deep and defend, quite the contrary. The Wisconsin native’s style is all about getting the ball into dangerous areas as quickly as possible and then either creating a chance to shoot or winning the ball back to then create a chance.

Saints might start out in a 4-2-3-1 but when inside their own half, Marsch tends to keep his team extremely narrow in order to pack bodies in the areas where the ball could become loose. This leaves the two full-backs as the only traditional wide players.

When they do win the ball, Marsch’s side will look to spring the opposition side’s high line and play balls in behind for their forwards to attack.

And then once they do get forward, an optimal Marsch side will swarm all over their opponent, committing bodies in attack to either latch onto loose balls or once again - to win it back high up the pitch.

The positives of this type of set-up are obvious. At their best, Marsch’s sides can create opportunities out of nothing and completely dominate the momentum of a match. But at the same time, the tendency to throw bodies forward can lead to huge areas of space for other teams to counter. This was a constant problem for Hasenhuttl at Saints and it was an issue for Marsch at Leeds as well.

The change in style and likely shift away from a back five will leave certain members of the squad on the outside while helping others.

At the back, Armel Bella-Kotchap is someone Marsch should be excited to work with given his track record with his young players and the German's recovery speed will be crucial to helping Saints defend on the counter-attack. Mohammed Salisu, should retain his place with the Ghanaian’s aggression and firefighting last-ditch defending needed to bail out of his team.

Duje Caleta-Car and Jan Bednarek could struggle to break into Marsch’s preferred team due to their lack of pace and preference to defend deep but when needing to hold a lead, the former is likely Saints' most trustworthy option.

Jesse Marsch has a huge task on his hands to revitalise this Saints team. (Image: Stuart Martin)

Out wide, Romain Perraud should flourish with the kind of responsibility Marsch heaps on his full-backs, the Frenchman adept at aiding in attack which will almost certainly be utilised more by the new boss than Jones.

Kyle Walker-Peters can do the job on the other side but it’s in midfield and up front where Marsch will arrive to a variety of options who all play the position in different ways.

Romeo Lavia is too talented an individual not to include somewhere in the team and he should anchor the midfield but next to him there are questions.

Ibrahima Diallo is the more natural fit for Marsch’s chasing press but Charly Alcaraz is much better at quickly springing attacks with smart short and long-range passes. Marsch will have to weigh up the decision between Diallo’s off-the-ball work and what Alcaraz can do with it at his feet.

Of course, James Ward-Prowse is another option for that double midfield pivot and while the Saints captain will no doubt be in the team, the second striker role in Marsch’s system - able to drift forward as well as drop into midfield - seems perfectly curated for the talisman to continue his productive last few months.

Paul Onuachu and Che Adams will battle for the striker job and while it would seem hard to bench an expensive new January addition, Adams is a great option to have and should slot in seamlessly with the way Marsch wants to press and attack space in behind.

Meanwhile, the conversation around the two attackers behind the striker is far less clear. Saints have as many as nine different players who would be looking to start in these two spots: Mislav Orsic, Samuel Edozie, Joe Aribo, Stuart Armstrong, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Moussa Djenepo, Theo Walcott, Adam Armstrong, Moi Elyounoussi.

Many of those nine are going to struggle for minutes and Marsch’s job will be to figure out which ones fit the best. Record-signing Kamaldeen will likely have to start, particularly after his impressive home debut, and his roaming nature could fit one of the narrow wide players or as the second striker.

Samuel Edozie, Moussa Djenepo, and Theo Walcott could all struggle for time thanks to their profiles as more traditional touchline-hugging wingers but Edozie especially is young enough to adapt and has the talent to force his way in even if it isn’t a perfect match.

There’s no real natural role for Adam Armstrong and the forward still is yet to prove he can handle this level while Mislav Orsic will be searching for a renewed opportunity after being frozen out almost immediately by Jones. The lack of time on the pitch with his teammates means it’s unclear how the Croatian actually fits into this gigantic puzzle.

Stuart Armstrong flourished at times in a similar position under Hasenhuttl and could be an option for Marsch if he’s looking for experience as well as someone who is capable of coming inside and acting as an extra midfielder, a job Elyounoussi has shown the ability to do despite offering relatively little in attack.

Out of favour in recent weeks, Aribo could be the wild card of the group. While he lacks pace and can at times prove to be lazy without the ball, he possesses terrific close control, an essential attribute when a team floods bodies into one area of the pitch.

The reality is that virtually no one in this group has adequately stepped up this season to provide the attacking inspiration Saints are desperate for. But the good news is that they’ll have another chance now for a fresh start and Marsch needs a few of his options to properly separate from the pack.

As with most squads, Marsch will be inheriting a group who flourish under different sets of circumstances. The new boss’s task is to create the set of circumstances and choose the group of players to maximise what he has at his disposal.

It won’t be easy. But there is a blueprint for success when combining this Saints squad and the football Marsch tends to try and employ.

How would you like to see Saints play under Marsch? What would be your preferred XI?

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