Javi Gracia is coming to the end of his first full week in charge at Leeds United after agreeing to join the club last week. He oversaw a win over Southampton at Elland Road on Saturday before the Whites were knocked out of the FA Cup against Fulham on Tuesday night.
However, he’ll be keen to see progress made at Chelsea this weekend and he’s busy preparing his side for what promises to be a demanding clash at Stamford Bridge. That can be seen in United’s latest ‘Inside Training’ video as Gracia continues to get to grips with his squad of players.
Here’s a few things we learned watching the clip.
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Hands-on Gracia
This is the first real chance we’ve had to see Gracia in action on training ground since his arrival at Thorp Arch and it’s clear he likes to get involved. The head coach can be seen keeping a keen eye on training from the very first minute of the video, dishing out instructions and advice in between drills.
Juan Solla can also be spotted directing the side at times and, given the coach has worked alongside Gracia at 10 different clubs, it’s fair to say he knows what the 52-year-old wants from his side. Gracia is then shown speaking closely with Archie Gray and Crysencio Summerville during a break in training, before overseeing a series of rather competitive looking rondos.
The video’s closing images are of the head coach talking to his entire squad on the training pitch and while his words could not be overheard, players appeared to listening intently. The Spaniard was asked about his coaching style in his most recent press conference leading into Saturday’s game at Chelsea and he spoke about striving to give his players all the information they need for the next game.
That much is clear in the video as he obviously likes to take a hands-on approach and it seems he’s not afraid to make his voice heard when required.
Injury clues
Gracia left journalists in the dark when asked about injuries on Thursday, opting not to speak about them for fear of giving information to the opposition. However, several players were conspicuous by their absences in the training video and that seems to provide doubt about whether they will be involved on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.
Pascal Struijk could not be seen and he hasn’t played a game since suffering a concussion at Old Trafford last month. The defender had been pushing to make a return against Everton but had to sit the game out after a dizzy spell in training and hasn't been seen since.
Max Wober couldn’t be spotted in training after missing Wednesday’s FA Cup game with Fulham, while Liam Cooper also appeared to be missing.
Possession-based drills
Without trying to read too much into a three-minute clip of training, every drill shown was centred on possession, keeping the ball under control and picking a pass quickly. Leeds haven’t always been able to use the ball effectively this season, but under Gracia there has been a small shift to a slightly more possession-based game.
The head coach will hope to see United continue to make strides in the coming weeks and the drills shown in training would suggest there is a push to enhance their ability to control games.
Multilingual McKennie
Given McKennie has spent a significant chunk of his life living in Germany, it wasn’t a surprise to hear him speaking German to Robin Koch as they made their way out onto the training field. However, it was still good to see as we continue to learn about the American midfielder, who arrived in West Yorkshire in the closing days of the January transfer window.
McKennie lived in Germany between the ages of six and nine due to his father being stationed at an air base just outside of Kaiserslautern and that’s where he first started playing football. He moved back to Germany in 2016, joining Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04 and he stayed there until he signed for Juventus on loan in August 2020.
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