Jesse Marsch swiftly cooled his temper with Wolves coach Bruno Lage after Leeds won 2-1 at Elland Road in the Premier League encounter.
Marsch asserted, “It was nothing. I only spoke with Bruno Lage briefly after that. I greatly admire him and the way his squad competes.”
But in the heat of the moment, it didn’t appear to be nothing.
After the final whistle, Marsch and Lage engaged in a heated discussion, and it appeared as though they were shouting at each other as they descended the tunnel.
Despite the disagreement, Marsch and Leeds had a great day as they rallied from a goal down to defeat the opposition 2-1 and earn three points.
Daniel Podence’s goal for Wolves in the sixth minute gave them the lead. The hosts’ Rodrigo scored an equalizer, and Leeds won thanks to an own goal from Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The three debutants, Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, and Marc Roca, particularly impressed Marsch.
‘Everyone sees that they fit really well,’ the Leeds coach said. ‘Marc Roca, when he played in Germany, he learned a lot of the principles that we are doing here with my team.
‘The work has been really good in preseason and we are adapting well to the way I would like to see u splay the game and in moments like this, you need validation.
‘If you play a good match but you don’t get the points, it can still be an important learning moment but it’s not as positive feedback as it is when you get the win.
‘For our fans, we didn’t win a lot of games at Elland Road last season so to start on the right foot, with a good performance and a three points to start our season will help us no doubt.’
The Elland Road fans erupted in jubilation with Leeds’ spirited and decisive opening-game victory over Wolves, the players raised their fists in celebration, and manager Jesse Marsch and his opposite number Bruno Lage nearly exchanged blows. Never has the music for “I Predict A Riot” felt more apt.
With its rumbling portrayal of threat and confrontation on the streets of the band’s city, the Kaiser Chiefs song has become an anthem at Elland Road following home victory and may serve as a model for how Marsch wants his players to present themselves.
They battled their way back from Daniel Podence’s early goal to secure victory. This team was a gentle reboot of the tenacious but worn-out group that managed to secure safety on the final day of the previous season.
With an angled drive in the first half, Rodrigo brought them even, then Ryan Ait-Nouri scored the game-winning goal from inside his own goal. There was a lot of harrying, aggressive pressing, and robust tackling in between.
A blip occurred for 25 minutes after halftime when Wolves came out strong and dangerously close to revealing Marsch’s team’s flaws.
If the visitors’ center-forward had been more ruthless, like the injured Raul Jimenez, they probably would have scored three points themselves with the help of Podence and Pedro Neto.
Leeds, however, had the final say on the field, leaving Marsch and Lage to quarrel about what is still unknown to the viewers.
Next weekend, Leeds will visit Southampton in an effort to continue its winning streak.
