Fulham v Leeds United: Javi Gracia press conference every word on Max Wober, Patrick Bamford and Willy Gnonto condition plus 'unacceptable' Whites
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Gracia’s side have shipped in 11 goals in their last two games which have ended in Elland Road hammerings at the hands of Crystal Palace and Liverpool. Just eight days after the 5-1 hiding at the hands of Palace, Monday night’s 6-1 drubbing by Liverpool left Leeds fifth-bottom and still only two points clear of the drop zone with just seven games left.
Leeds have now conceded 60 goals for the worst defensive record in the division and a trip to tenth-placed Fulham is next for a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday afternoon at Craven Cottage.
Gracia spoke to the media at 1pm from Thorp Arch on Thursday and here is every word said by United’s head coach.
Fulham v Leeds United - Javi Gracia press conference every word
Key Events
- Saturday 12.30pm kick-off at Craven Cottage
All set for Javi Gracia
Press conference updates from 1pm, Wober being fit enough to start would be a huge help but Javi usually does not give much away team news/injuries/fitness wise. Bamford update also key.
Have you seen a reaction from your players this week?
“What I have seen is all my players really disappointed after the last game we played and with the desire to change, with the desire to perform much better and to look for our next game hoping to show a better face.”
On 60 goals conceded - worst in the division - how much focus on the defence?
“It’s something I am trying to improve from my arrival, we need to find the right balance to compete well and to try to get better results. In this case, we are coming from two games conceding 11 goals and it is something really unacceptable for us and we are working on itm trying to work, trying to improve and try to come back to the way we competed before.”
On lack of desire of players? Felt by some fans at 3-1 down. Have you seen that?
“No, but I can understand the supporters because in some parts of the last game and in the game before as well in the second half against Palace there were some moments where you could have that feeling but I have to defend my players because I now they tried. But sometimes these moments are difficult to manage and to deal with. That is something more like that, more than like a lack of desire for sure.”
What have players said to you about solving problems?
“The one who has to say the way to solve the problems is me, not them. I try to to analyse the reasons why we’ve played in the last two games some parts of some parts of these games different than others before and try to come back as soon as possible to the way we’ve competed. We speak about the way we competed in the games before, not only if we concede more goals or less goals or or the result only the result. I speak about the way we’ve we’ve competed the games before and I think if we did it, we have to do it as soon as possible.”
What problems have you seen and are you confident you have the solutions?
“I speak about the problems with them. I think this is not the right place to speak now about the problems we have. I can say only that we are working on it. It is evident we don’t have the right balance which we had in previous matches which showed that we were able to do it and I am sure we will do it again.”
Fulham are probably safe now, is this the time to be more aggressive in your approach?
“We need to be more aggressive but the aggressiveness is not only to attack better, you need a balance. You need to defend better, you need to attack better, you need to compete with the way that we did before and the next game is the most important because as we have spoken many times before, it’s the next one and we need the points. We are coming from two important defeats and we have to change the dynamic because there are only seven games left. We have competed six games before the last two I think in a good way and we have to cone back to compete in the same way.”
On Gnonto, why not starting? What does he need to do better?
“I think there are many things we are not doing well in this moment because you only can see the games and the results to to know it. But, for me, it’s important the way they work every day, the way I know they competed the games from from my arrival and I believe in my players, I believe in my squad and then knowing we have some players that they have some little issues, they are not in the best condition but all of them want to help the team play in some minutes, play, training two or three days that week because they cannot train more but at the end, in the conditions they are, all of them want to help to the team and that’s the main reason to be optimistic.”