Watford v Leeds United: No more Mr Nice Guy in Jesse Marsch

Aggression is something the American talks about a lot when discussing how he wants the Whites to play – aggressive in their defending, aggressive in their pressing, aggressive in seeking out goals – and for someone so pleasant within the confines of the interview room, he is a pretty combative personality.

His Leeds side have reflected that in the last three games – battling to wins others might have written off against Norwich City and Wolverhampton Wanderers, then a real scrap of a draw against Southampton.

The world of football management has to be fairly dog-eat-dog – even more so as the nights grow lighter and the prizes and pitfalls come into view – with the riches on offer in the Premier League making the stakes higher than most. The result Leeds get at Watford this afternoon will have a big bearing on both sides’ chances of still being in the division next season.

But when the match stops, so usually does the rivalry.

Not always, admittedly, but Premier League managers can be quite chummy with one another once the points are settled, and do not always take kindly to those who do not follow their traditions. Marsch has already got in trouble once, for not shaking the hand of Norwich’s Dean Smith after a dramatic home win. He insisted at the time it was not a show of disrespect, just something that was not a habit in America, Austria or Germany, where he previously worked.

Many a foreign manager has remarked on how open most Premier League managers are to sharing a glass of something cold and their thoughts on the game at the end of a match. “Congenial,” Marsch calls it, “maybe too congenial for me!”

Early this evening, when he has finished his interviews, Marsch will probably be offered to chew the fat with the elder statesman of Premier League management. The chance to learn from 74-year-old Watford and former Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers, Fulham, Liverpool, West Bromwich Albion, England and Crystal Palace (not to mention Halmstads, Oddevold, Orebro, Malmo, Neuchatel Xamax, Switzerland, Inter Milan, Grasshoppers, Copenhagen, Udinese, United Arab Emirates, Viking and Finland) manager Roy Hodgson should be invaluable for someone who has only worked in this country just over a month, but it does not sit entirely comfortably with Marsch.

“The respect for our shared misery is pretty strong here in England,” he says.

“We had (former Burnley and Sheffield United manager) Adrian Heath in the US when he coached at Orlando and (now) in Minnesota and he was always really good with me after the match to say, ‘Come and have a beer.’ Hesitantly I did it and I found it incredibly rewarding.

“I want to acknowledge the work other people do and I do respect and appreciate it.

“It’s hard for me to sometimes be friendly with competitors because in my mind I want to not like them but when I wind up liking them, usually I think the respect grows.

“I like the motivation when I am driven to want to beat someone but sometimes – like I said with Ralph Hasenhuttl (the Southampton manager he knows from their time in the Red Bull network) – my respect for him is so high.

“I never want the players to feel the personal situation between me and the coach or the other manager but I certainly feel the competitive juices on those days.

“I had a really nice talk with Ralph Hasenhuttl after the match (last week), Brendan Rodgers was very generous with some time after the match (at Leicester City), Dean Smith was mad at me for not shaking his hand so we didn’t spend as much time (together) but in general I know the level of respect for the managerial work in this country and in this league is so high so it’s nice to be a part of that.”

With players like Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Gianluigi Donnarumma in France, Robert Lewandowski in Germany, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric, Thibaut Courtois and Pedri in Spain, you can argue to what extent the Premier League has the world’s best players but it is the home of its best managers. Cosy chats with Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel, not to mention up-and-coming talents like Patrick Vieira, Mikel Arteta, Graham Potter and Thomas Frank hopefully await.

“Anyone in the world knows that this is the best league in the world and all I need to do is watch videos of our opponents when I prepare to develop high levels of respect for every team and every manager,” says Marsch. “The biggest headache I have every week is watching the opposition and trying to find weaknesses and identify strengths. The work we do has to be at such a high level to give us a chance so I appreciate that it makes me better and it keeps me on my toes and I certainly have to put a lot into every week but it gives you headaches.”

Life away from his laptop seems much more enjoyable.

“I am really happy here, really happy in every way,” he says. “My family is here, we love living in this area, we find the people here in Yorkshire incredibly friendly, open and helpful.

“The club has a lot of expertise and a lot of really wonderful and skilled, good people and the players working with the team have been amazing. I feel like this is a really great fit for me and I just want to do everything I can to help this team achieve.”

If it means having to smile politely as he sips on a post-match beer or wine, it is a small price to pay.