Javi Gracia reacts to Illan Meslier questions, reveals injury doubts – Leeds United early team news vs Leicester
Javi Gracia refused to be drawn on Illan Meslier’s future as Leeds United number one keeper amid criticism over his form, but revealed some players are doubts to face Leicester.
The Foxes visit Elland Road on Tuesday (25 April) in a vital six-pointer at the bottom of the table, with the two sides separated by one place and one point in 16th and 17th position and the Whites sightly better off.
Meslier has been in the spotlight after conceding 13 goals in the past three games, while being at fault for both against Fulham on Saturday (22 April), but Gracia wouldn’t confirm that he remains the starter.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Monday the Leeds United boss said, as per Leeds Live: “He reacts well. As usual. He always trains well and he has good character. We are conceding a lot of goals in the last games but we’ve spoken about that. It’s not opnly about the keeper. We need to defend better.”
On whether he backs him to start, he responded simply: “I back all my players.”
On possibly injuries he admitted there were some players who he didn’t know whether they would be fit, but did not name who, saying: “For the next game we have some that in this moment I am not sure will be able to play.”
Panic stations
Fulham, Liverpool, and these days Crystal Palace, aren’t bad sides but the manner in which the Whites have been throw into complete disarray against all three has been alarming.
In their current form Leicester are a bad side, so if Leeds United can’t get a result against them at home in a crucial clash in this relegation battle then there will be huge fears about the final weeks of the season.
The problem is that after a new manager bounce that brought in some long-awaited wins the Whites have shown themselves to be quite a bad side themselves.
There should be enough quality in this squad to produce far more of the type of performances that saw victory secured against Nottingham Forest from 1-0 down (4 April) than the meek surrenders since.
But when the entire defence seems to live and die by the availability of Max Wober, and he isn’t enough to hold it together entirely on his own, and the confidence of Meslier has, perhaps understandably, been shot by a total lack of protection, then there are problems.
Tyler Adams was clearly an important player, and there were times the midfield was bypassed too easily when he was fit, but without him there has been virtually no production offensively or defensively in that area for the past few games.
Gracia has been making increasingly surprising selection decisions, and his refusal to change tactics to tighten up the middle is a worry, but if his players can get something against Leicester, however it comes, perhaps they can rebuild their belief sufficiently to cling on at the end of the campaign.
In other Leeds United news, a significant Elland Road exit was almost certainly sealed in the past few days.