Leeds United man shifts focus as players get full Javi Gracia Liverpool debrief and hope for boost - YEP 18/4/23

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Leeds United must move on quickly from their Liverpool nightmare in order to focus on three 'massive' games this month.

By Graham Smyth

The Whites travel to Fulham on Saturday then host fellow relegation threatened Leicester City on Tuesday night, before a trip to 14th-placed Bournemouth. That home game against the Foxes looks particularly significant in the run-in, with Leicester currently sitting 19th, four points behind Leeds.

Beyond that trio of fixtures lies a quartet of daunting ones, including a visit to ominous title-chasers Manchester City, but Leeds can't think about that just yet. Even as the stadium was still emptying after Tuesday's 6-1 humiliation by Liverpool, Leeds defender Robin Koch was attempting to shift the focus on to the challenges just around the corner.

"Obviously it's hard for us but we need to put this game aside now because we have three massive games coming," he said.

"It's extremely hard for us now but we'll put this game aside now and go for the next three games."

Koch, who lamented the gifting of so much space to the Reds during Monday’s defeat, will by now have had a full and frank debrief from boss Javi Gracia, alongside his team-mates. Gracia revealed in his post-match press conference that he prefers to say more about the game the next day, than in the minutes that immediately follow the final whistle. Speaking to the press the Whites boss struggled for an explanation as to why Leeds had fallen so short of their standards, so suddenly, in the past two games. The Spaniard also admitted that losing consecutive games by an aggregate 11-2 scoreline was not only an unprecedented experience in his career but one that was 'hard to manage.'

He will, at least, be hoping that he can count on Max Wober for at least some of Saturday's game at Craven Cottage, after welcoming the defender back into the matchday squad - albeit without using him - in mid-week. Leeds were without Patrick Bamford for the Liverpool game and an update on the striker's availability will top the agenda when Gracia sits down with the media again on Thursday.

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