Leeds United boss Javi Gracia's pre-Bournemouth press conference every word on Whites collapse, Willy Gnonto decision and Luis Sinisterra's injury
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Leeds put themselves on course to move four points clear of the Premier League drop zone when taking a 1-0 lead in Tuesday night’s hosting of Leicester City only for the Foxes to equalise through Jamie Vardy and leave with a 1-1 draw.
The stalemate left United just two points clear of the drop zone but having played one game more than third-bottom Everton but the Toffees were then hammered 4-1 by Thursday night’s visitors Newcastle United.
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Hide AdLeeds, though, who are still fifth-bottom, have now been joined on 30 points by fourth-bottom Nottingham Forest who recorded a 3-1 victory at home to high-flying Brighton on Wednesday evening which left Leicester in the bottom three, one point behind the Whites. The result also left Everton second-bottom and still two points adrift of Leeds.
Bournemouth, meanwhile, pulled seven points clear of the drop zone with Thursday night’s 1-0 win at bottom side Southampton which left the 14th-placed Cherries six points ahead of this weekend’s visitors Leeds. Ahead of Sunday’s 2pm kick-off at the Vitality Stadium, Gracia spoke to the media at 1pm from Thorp Arch and here is everything that was said by United’s Spanish head coach.
Bournemouth v Leeds United - Javi Gracia press conference every word
All set
For Javi Gracia at Thorp Arch. Wober and Sinisterra injury updates top of the pile, notwithstanding the ongoing Gnonto saga after zero minutes against Leicester. Surely that has to change. Feels like another chance for Leeds this at Bournemouth after the midweek results. A four team mini league now really, Leeds top of it and need to either stay there or at worst be second. Forest right back in the mix.
Is this must win?
“In the situation we are, for sure we need to put everything in this game because we have missed the last chances and we have to take the next one.”
You led for 60 minutes against Leicester - were there a lot of positives?
“Always you have positives to take but the last results were unexpected for us and we need a good result to change a little bit the dynamic.”
“To be strong, mentally strong, is important in this part of the season. In the last game, we had two clear chances that at the end of the press conference, I told you maybe that chance is offside. But it wasn’t offside and we had two very good chances to win the game, knowing in in the beginning of the game that Leicester created from our mistakes two or three clear chances as well. But we had the chances at the end. We didn’t take it and we have to do it. We try to do it next game.”
Sinisterra out for the season
“Luis will be out for the rest of the season.”
Is it a repeat of the older injury?
“No. I think it is something in his ankle, in his ligament. I cannot explain but something in his ankle, a ligament.”
On the different options to Sinisterra, and how is Gnonto?
“You ask me about Willy many times and I always tell you the same. Willy is an exceptional player with an amazing character. It is a pleasure to work with him every day. And after I have to make decisions thinking in what is the best for the team. In the last game I decided to play with that substitution, to play with Cree Summerville but I’m sure in the next games, Willy will have chances to show how good a player he is.”
Why would the team be stronger with Cree or Luis as opposed to Gnonto for example?
“It is something about what I think is better for the team, it is not only to compare one with the other. I think it is not fair that. I try to choose in that moment what is the best for the team. I think both can help us and both are going to help us for sure.”
If you don’t win this game, are you worried about your position?
“I’m concerned about the situation of the team and when I arrived. I told you in other press conferences, we were in a worse positio and we were able from my arrival to get 11 points in 10 games and of course we want to get more but we are focused on on trying our best in these five games left, starting from the next one, starting from Bournemouth.”
On Bournemouth
“In my opinion Bournemouth is a well organised team, they have a very clear style they want to play. They did it yesterday, they are doing it in the last games and they were able to improve the results they’ve got in in the last games. Now they are in a better position than us but we are going full of confidence that we are able to play well and to get good results.”
Bournemouth have a small squad and low budget - why are they higher in the table than so called bigger clubs?
“Because football is not only money. In football you can compete well if you are well organised, if you have the values I think we have in this case Bournemouth have as well. It speaks very well about them because if you see the budget, sometimes it’s better not compete.”
“In this moment he is not training with the team, we will see the next day/tomorrow if he can help us or not but, now, he is not training with the team.”
When a team is struggling to retain possession, what kind of solutions can you look for?
“It depends on the game. I think when you play against Liverpool, for example, it was tough for us because their high press was very aggressive and we didn’t have enough time to find the solutions and to have more possession. But in other games, I think we can be able to have more possession. In the last games we put in from the beginning Patrick and Rodri upfront. We tried to find them in sometimes more directly than other games. But in other games we try to with our mobility with our options with the quality we have in both sides, the quality we have to play, I think we can have more possession in other games but the possession is not only, is not the most important. I think the way you have the possession or the the chances you create with that possession is more important for us in this moment..”
How do you keep the players believing when you don’t have results to sustain that belief?
“First of all they are professionals and in my opinion, they are very good professionals and you have to manage or to deal with it. You have to handle. There are moments when you feel better and there are moments when you feel worse but in all of them you have to show your professionalism and give your best. Now is the crucial moment of season and now is when feeling better or worse, you have to give your best. It is something simple like that. We have to keep going, keep working the way we are doing and I’m sure doing that we’ll be able to change the dynamic we have.”
How is the belief and confidence amongst the players?
“Of course you feel better when after working or during all the week or some days you have the reward of points. But, as I said now, we know we have to compete and to prepare for the next game because we missed some important chance, of course and when we know it, but now we don’t have time to think about that. At the end of the season we can we can analyse what happened in that game or different things but now we have to be focused only on the next game and I think the confidence is coming from all the things we have done before that they did it and they can’t do it again.”
Does formation change come into it? Can you consider that or is that too big?
“I try to analyse all the things. I try to analyse my team, try to analyse the players I have because, as you know, the last games we have we always have some players out and then, knowing that, I always try to choose the best shape, the best 11 and after knowing in the most in the most part of the games the players are coming from the bench decide the game. In all the last games, as you can see yesterday, there are many players injured and all the players have to be ready because all of them are going to be important..”
What has gone wrong since half time v Palace?
“In my opinion it was a strange game because we showed a very good phase the first half, creating many chances and in my opinion deserving even a better result. But in the second (half), we changed, we conceding goals, many clear chances and the other team showed their quality and made the difference. After that we’ve competed in some games well. Not during all the games but in the last in the last game against Leicester it wasn’t our best game but we competed better and I think are close to competing and at the same time getting the results we need.”
Are there things in those games you wish you had done differently as a coach?
“In between the last games, we didn’t have much time to work. Between Fulham and Leicester we had two days and then now we’ve have some days more to prepare. Now, today, yesterday something, today after recovering Thursday. And now today we have some some time to do something orientated for the next game. I think this is what this moment of the season is with this busy schedule. We can we can do it but it’s something we have to to adapt, not complain at all and try to to prepare as better as possible..”