Six points separate the nine worst teams in the Premier League, which may provide some crumb of comfort for those desperate to escape, but not Javi Gracia. Leeds United’s new head coach is very much in the wait-until-the-38th-game-is-played-before-looking camp.
The Spaniard has said as much to the players too. For the first time, Gracia has pulled the curtain back on what was said to the squad in those early meetings before the Southampton match.
Speaking to the media last week, Gracia and his coaching staff had made it clear to the players they were only looking forward from here on out. There was nothing to be gained in looking back at how dire their situation had become.
“As you say, there are not many differences in the teams and many of them are involved in relegation now,” he said. “To be honest, I don't like to see the table.
“I don't like to see the table before winning, after winning, I don't like. I prefer to put all my energy in my work, to put all my energy in preparing the next game and that's the way we are well prepared to get the points in the next game.
“When I spoke with the players I told them the same. I told them ‘today we cannot speak about our situation, it’s our start, all of us know you are 10 games without winning, you are in the relegation zone, but from today we only speak about the next game.
“‘Day by day do your best preparing yourself for the next training session, the next game and I am sure, if we do that, at the end we will get our target.’”
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