Leeds United midfielder coaching, contrasting touchline behaviour and off-camera Saints moments - YEP 26/2/23


Leeds United were the only team in the bottom four to celebrate victory on Saturday and moved out of the drop zone with their 1-0 victory over Southampton.

By Graham Smyth

Javi Gracia could not have hoped for much more in terms of an Elland Road managerial debut with all that was missing from the performance being a few more clear-cut chances. In the context of the table and in light of how poor the visitors were, Leeds had to win, but they did, and rarely, if ever, looked capable of losing this one. The Spaniard rushes headlong into his next challenge, an FA Cup tie at Fulham on Tuesday, but he's off and running at the first sound of the starter's pistol. Here's the YEP take.

Good day

Junior Firpo

Much maligned after a frustrating time of it since his arrival from Barcelona, Firpo came back into the team due to Pascal Struijk's concussion issue and having looked decent against Manchester United before a poor outing at Everton, truly seized his opportunity against Southampton. He seemed to relish the license to get wide, stay wide and go forward, getting to the byline to produce crosses. Defensively, where he has come in for the most criticism, he was solid. And of course he picked just about the perfect time for his first ever Premier League goal. The celebrations were deserved. The challenge is to replicate this performance.

Javi Gracia

What a welcome to Elland Road. An understated presence on the touchline, Gracia was often seen communicating with his players but never remonstrated. He cajoled rather than scolded. What Leeds need is a calm, sensible head at such a difficult time and that is exactly what he appears to be. His gameplan for Southampton was no-frills and effective enough to work. If he can make Leeds solid and nick the necessary wins, he will have done the job he told the board was possible. This was just a start, but a good enough one.

Robin Koch

Controlled a giant man. The sight of Koch leaping high over Paul Onuachu was one to behold. Standing at 6ft 7ins, Onuachu is an imposing figure but Koch gave him little respect in the air and prevented Saints from playing off their targetman.

Bad day

Ruben Selles

What the newly-installed Southampton boss had planned just didn't ever materialise on the Elland Road pitch, much to his growing frustration. They looked generally clueless on the ball, had no outlet whenever they got possession in the middle and struggled to hurt Leeds. They looked and played like a relegation candidate.

Off-camera moments

French youth international pair Georginio Rutter and Sekou Mara catching up on the Elland Road pitch, as Leeds goalkeeping coach Marcos Abad and Saints manager Ruben Selles had a chat. The pair hail from the same area in València.

Michael Skubala, who has remained with the first team after his spell as caretaker, was in danger of being trampled by a stampede of tiny mascots keeping warm by the side of the pitch before the teams came out to prepare. When Leeds did emerge, Skubala was educated on the new pre-match warm-up routine by Gracia's staff.

Previously, Leeds players would come out and pass a ball back and forth with their usual partner before heading into the collective, structured routine but they were straight into it under the new regime. They faced partners and mixed up exercises with short passing exchanges before putting a little more distance between each other and a little more into sprints to swap positions.

Joel Robles, fresh from attempting free-kicks into an empty net, almost found himself nutmegged by a cheeky pass from Mateo Joseph as the goalkeeper walked back in from the warm-up.

When the game was underway, the two managers had very different dispositions. Selles was bouncing on his toes and putting a huge amount of energy into his coaching while Gracia was a calmer presence. The Saints boss lost his rag completely with Kamaldeen Sulemana for not pressing, the striker jogging up the pitch as his manager berated his effort for a considerable number of seconds.

The most heated Gracia got in the first half was a quizzical look at the fourth official, when one minute was added at the end of a first half that held stoppages and some time wasting from the visitors.

Gracia wasn't the only Spaniard issuing instructions as the game wore on. Marc Roca, who dished out a word of advice for Willy Gnonto prior to the second half, was then giving Jack Harrison some wisdom before he took an attacking free-kick. And as Roca himself prepared to come on, he was appealing for calm from Firpo and the defenders, with Leeds a goal up.

At full-time there were justifiably intense celebrations, although Gracia once again remained composed. Ayling was whipping up the Kop, Firpo went looking for his family above the South Stand seating and then gave the fans the fist pumps, to which they responded.

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