Javi Gracia taking personal lesson as boss issues firm view on Leeds United individuals - YEP 11/4/23

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Whites boss Javi Gracia says he will take a personal lesson from Sunday's hard second half against Crystal Palace but that his belief and trust in Leeds United's players remains unwavered for the relegation fight run-in.

Lee Sobot

Gracia looked on course to steer Leeds to a fourth Premier League win from just seven league games in charge in Sunday's hosting of Palace who trailed to a 21st-minute Patrick Bamford header amid wave after wave of Whites attacks.

Palace, though, who had threatened through set pieces, equalised in first half stoppage time as Marc Guehi beat Illan Meslier at close range to net from a free-kick and the Eagles then ran riot after the break in netting four times without reply for a 5-1 romp.

In addition to denting the team's goal difference, the heavy reverse has left Leeds fifth bottom and just two points clear of the drop zone with eight games left but Gracia insists the second half blitz did not tell him anything he did not know about a set of players that he has full belief in.

"I know my players very well," said Gracia, asked if he had learned more about individuals through the second-half collapse. "I don't need to lose one game or to win one game to know more about my players. I know them very well. I believe in them, I trust them and, this situation, we are going to do it together. We will lose together and we prepare as best as possible for the next game together.

"Of course when you win, all the players are happier than in other moments. It’s something we have to accept. Before this game, speaking with the players, I told them there are many teams that they didn't win against from nine games, from eight games, from five games. This is the situation. We have to be strong, we have to keep our mentality strong and try to be confident in the work we are doing.

"That's the most important for me, be confident in the hard work and this way I am sure we are going to compete all the games the same way we've done before and today in the first half."

Pressed on what he could do differently to stop the second half collapse happening again - how he could work on that - Gracia declared: "Nothing different than other games. In all the games we have to improve things, to do many things better and of course in this game we have to pay more attention. This second half is hard to accept but I will, like the players, all of us, will learn something from this hard moment."

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