Leeds United are sitting in 15th place in the Premier League right now, having 31 points from 27 games.
Their form has turned a corner under Daniel Farke lately as they drew 1-1 away at 3rd placed Aston Villa last weekend. That result left them six points above the drop zone.
Leeds have only lost twice in their last 12 games across all competitions with Farke switching to a back three setup working magic.
The Whites as Championship winners last year with 100 points and now the main job is to stay put in the Premier League this time around.
This sentiment now connects to an older argument about Leeds’ fitness levels.
Former manager Jesse Marsch jumped on X recently to defend his spell there as he clapped back at comments made from another former Leeds manager Sam Allardyce four days ago.
Big Sam went on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast with Natalie Pike and Leeds legend Eddie Gray and talked about his short time at Elland Road in 2023.
He pointed out how Bielsa turned Leeds into the fittest team around with that side topping the Premier League in physical stats but the next 2 manager ruined the Argentine”s work.
“Bielsa had the top physical stats in the Premier League, Leeds United were number one. So when I got to Leeds after two managers, I think, ‘At least they’re fit’. They were bottom three.”
“The two managers after Bielsa (Jesse Marsch and Javi Gracia) allowed the physical stats to drop into the Premier League bottom three. Why on earth had the next two managers allowed that to slip?”
Marsch saw it and posted ‘Really??’ with a stats table attached.
The table came from Premier League weeks 1-20 during his time showing how Leeds were ranked first in total distance covered by a good margin.
Leeds led in high-speed running meters and most other categories too. They were second in sprint distance but first in the combined high-speed and sprints. Leeds topped high-speed runs, sprints, and the combined totals.
Seven out of eight metrics had them in first place. Teams like Tottenham, Newcastle, and Brentford showed up in some spots. Manchester City ranked much lower in those raw running numbers.
Marsch shared this to prove he kept the team’s intensity alive and how he didn’t let Bielsa’s athletic standards slip away.
One fan replied that relegation made his opinion worthless anyway and Marsch hit back with “Except we kept the team up” and a thinking emoji.
The American took over from Bielsa in February 2022 when Leeds had only won twice in their previous 17 games at that stage.
Marsch steadied the squad quickly and they survived on the final day with a win over Brentford thanks to Raphinha’s big moments.
Leeds fans had split reactions to his posts.
Some loved the fitness reminder and gave him credit for keeping them up. Others stayed pretty critical about the overall results.
His Premier League record was eight wins, nine draws, and fifteen losses.
People mentioned tactical issues, injuries, and changes like scrapping recovery pods.
Many believe survival came despite him because of key players and some luck. Marsch still feels proud of the running foundation he held onto.
LUFC Connor (C) 🦚 (@ConnorMOT92)
You mean Raphinha kept Leeds up😉
#LUFC
WACCOE1919 (@Waccoe1919)
You disrespected Marcelo’s fitness and were laughing at the overkill whilst ripping sleeping pods out at Thorpe Arch!
Go on deny that cos I have it on very good authority…
Should have been a salesman…😡
E-Leeds United (@e_LeedsUnited)
How did you fare out the following season? Trending in the right direction?
Do me a favour 🥱
#LUFC
Antony Carl Higgs (@AntonyCarlHiggs)
Still hurts his ego doesn’t it… a world cup manager getting drawn into twitter battles with Leeds fans 😂
Let it go man, you were the ice burg that sunk the ship and Big Sam went down with it. #lufc
LUFCMOT (@LUFCMOTcom)
😂😂😂
I almost admire his self-belief. It’s impressive to rate yourself so highly, despite all metrics suggesting the opposite.
Jack (@JackLUFC1919)
Replies are quite funny. Despite raphinha having attitude issues and giving up, he was actually now the one who single handedly kept us up🤔
OBB (@WitlessWolrab)
You put Raphinha at wing back and on long throws
Zak Kershaw 🤍💛💙 (@Zak_Allen)
Give it a rest Jesse. You left the team in tatters. You recruited a lot of players who were semi-decent in an Austrian league and Bundesliga, thinking it would somehow make a decent EPL side. And for the record I doubt Weston McKennie has ever ran more than 20 metres in 90mins.
Hips 🏆 (@TipsySnakehipsy)
Any manager would have kept us up that season, Bielsa laid the foundations and should never have been sacked.
What followed was a complete disaster and set us back years.
Jesse Marsch needs to find a new hobby
— The Square Ball (@TheSquareBall) February 24, 2026
Now that he has resorted to using spreadsheets in defence of his #LUFC tenure, we think it's time he finds something better to do with his time.
by @cmcmenamy_ pic.twitter.com/Y7BtPqHoFw
Somebody take Jesse Marsch’s phone off him
— Tommo (@LUFC1992_v2) February 23, 2026
The whole exchange stirs up the old fan divide again. Everyone adores Bielsa’s revolutionary era at the club.
Frustration remains from the messy years that followed. Relegation in 2023 is still the harsh verdict for a lot of people.
