Leeds United v Southampton: Iron fist in a velvet glove as Javi Gracia gets ready for battle - Yorkshire Post 25/2/23

IN JAVI GRACIA'S opening press conference after officially being confirmed as Leeds United's new head coach, you got the distinct impression that as individuals go, he is a bit of an iron fist in a velvet glove.

By Leon Wobschall

He was softly-spoken and personable in his utterances and while he did not reveal anything startling, the Spaniard did drop one or two hints that behind his benign image, here is someone who knows what he wants and is very much the boss.

In Leeds's current predicament, that is surely no bad thing.

There has been talk about the disciplinarian side of Gracia from his previous time in the Premier League at Watford, where he quickly took charge of the club's fines system from the players, who were reportedly hit in the pocket for a lack of punctuality - not just for training, but also missing physio appointments, yoga sessions and the like.

Gracia tried his best to refute that authoritarian charge. But his sentiments did have a whiff of Brian Clough, who once famously said that if he had an argument with a player, they would talk about it for 20 minutes and then decide Clough was right.

Gracia said: "That’s not true, I try only to do the right things. When I have to be one way, I do it.

"The best thing I can do is speak with the players and explain what I am seeing and try to convince what is important is to do something - in this case about rules.

"And after, we can speak about play. I speak with my (Watford) players and everybody accepted what we thought was the best for the team."

Inheriting a team who looked to be crying out for a leader and someone to follow in last weekend's timid loss at Goodison Park, it is the devout hope of everyone at Elland Road that Gracia proves to be exactly that sort of figure.

Life has been hectic since he first spoke with Leeds about taking over on Sunday, as the club's hierarchy picked up the pieces after a shocking day on Merseyside.

Gracia seems the sort who would probably have not have it any other way and expected it. He needs to find out not just about players fast, but also people.

He must learn who he can trust in United's survival fight in double-quick time. So far, he has looked into the whites of players' eyes and seen hope. The real stuff starts today.

Gracia said: "The last few days have been really busy. Sleeping two or three hours and preparing a lot of things.

"I think we are really prepared and for me, it's the most important.

"Everybody knows the potential of this squad and commitment, energy, passion to play is not in doubt. From my first day, they show me these things I have said.

"At the moment, they need a good result to change the dynamic because the rest of things, they are doing really well.

"Then, for me as a coach, it is easy to stay and work with them because they really want to do it.

"With a high commitment, I am looking forward to the moment of playing at Elland Road and for them to show our supporters that they really want to improve the situation."

For Gracia, it is substance before style, first and foremost. Leeds need points however they arrive and not marks for artistic impression.

Gracia appears a pragmatist and that is eminently sensible in the circumstances.

The fact that United have the fourth worst goals against record in the division - only Leicester, Bournemouth and Southampton have conceded more than their tally of 39 goals - has been duly noted.

Perhaps more so than the fact that their tally of 28 goals for is only bettered by Leicester in the bottom half of the table. The issue is elsewhere.

The 52-year-old continued: "You have to analyse the team and understand why different things are happening. And after, you have to find the balance you are looking for.

"In this case, in my opinion, the team is conceding goals and you have to improve that. To improve that, it is not that you are going to be more defensive, but you have to find a better balance to have more options to win to get better results.

"I know we don't have much time, but we have time to work on it to give players solutions to make them feel more comfortable on the pitch.

"With all these things, we have to find a balance whether we play 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2 or whatever you want. The most important thing, in my opinion, are other numbers."

Seeing their boy step out at Elland Road, one of the great arenas of English football, will be a special moment for the Gracia family.

Gracia's late father will not be there to share in it sadly, but his pride would have been manifest.

Gracia said: "Of course, my family is the most important for me, my wife and kids. They are an inspiration.

"My father is a person who was most important for me, My father has died, but my mother is alive. When I was a boy, they taught me what I have to do.

"My father always showed me and was with me when I was a child and we enjoyed football a lot. Later I had the chance to manage my hometown team Osasuna and I was at the games with him in Pamplona (as a child).

"When I was training as a coach, he was not with me. Life is life and I have all the love from my family."