Phil Hay reveals Skubala simplified Leeds training

Phil Hay has revealed that Michael Skubala has simplified everything at Leeds United since Jesse Marsch was sacked.

The Lowdown: Skubala is Leeds’ final hope

Things never really seemed to click into gear for Marsch at Elland Road with the American boss managing to win just 11 games during his short but sweet tenure as a Premier League boss.

Therefore, when Skubala was trusted to take the reigns at Leeds he will have known that something ended to change, although that doesn’t always need to be something elaborate and over the top.

Instead, it appears as though Skubala has gone the other direction and made things a lot simpler and more straightforward for his group of players according to Hay.

The Latest: Tactics now simpler for Leeds players

While speaking on The Phil Hay Show the Athletic journalist has admitted Skubala wants his players to understand all of his instructions having made it very simple for them to follow tactics on the training ground.

He said: (29:00) “I’ve been asking quite a lot about what’s Skubala’s doing and what way is he approaching this and everything that’s getting said seems to be simplification.

“I mean Marsch didn’t have the same training week that Bielsa did, Bielsa’s training weeks were hugely intense and never really eased off, never really a gap and never really a break and long analysis sessions and for a long time worked effectively.

“Marsch’s weeks tended to be a lot more structured that two days before a game it would be fairly low-key, fairly gentle to let the player’s legs recover a bit more, some sessions were purely on set pieces and the analysis wasn’t as in-depth or as longwinded as some of Bielsa’s.

“It sounds like Skubala has simplified all of that again, it’s not the case of doing the bare minimum as in tossing it off, it’s a case of I think trying not to overcomplicate things with the players and trying to make it as basic and simple a plan and a stay as possible so that ideally it works as quickly as possible.”

The Verdict: Season-defining period for Leeds

It will be interesting to see how the Leeds players respond from a more simple approach to tactics and instructions as they may well take it as an insult to their intelligence and ability or may well feel this benefits given the situation they find themselves in.

While fans may well be happy with Skubala in charge given he picked up a point against Manchester United, it’s one thing getting results when there’s no pressure on you as an interim manager compared to when you’re the main man for the foreseeable future.

Skubala will certainly feel the pressure this weekend as he takes his Leeds side to face an Everton outfit that won their last home game against Arsenal, so his tactical nouse will certainly be tested against Sean Dyche.

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