Phil Hay shares if Javi Gracia under pressure from Leeds United board in FA Cup
Phil Hay has admitted that Leeds United manager Javi Gracia won’t be under the same pressure as Jesse Marsch was to secure a cup run and that his sole job is likely to keep the club in the Premier League.
Gracia, who previously took Watford to the FA Cup final in 2019, travels to Fulham in the fifth round of the FA Cup on Tuesday night (28 February) with a spot in the last eight of the competition up for grabs.
The Athletic’s Hay has shared that Leeds’ managing director Angus Kinnear had previously placed pressure on Marsch to compete in the latter stages of the cup but that Premier League survival was now the “sole priority for the board”.
“No, I very much doubt there will be specific pressure on him,” he wrote (Tuesday 28 February).
“It was different with Marsch because a cup run was an aim from the start of the season but Leeds have strayed into serious trouble in the league and the sole priority for the board will be staying up.”
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There is an argument to say that Gracia should rest a host of players and ensure they stay fit for the Premier League, but nothing would improve their chances in the league like a strong win in the FA Cup.
Winning football matches breeds confidence, and for this reason, Gracia won’t be likely to take the competition lightly.
Securing a date in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup would be a huge momentum change in the club’s otherwise drab season to date, and the atmosphere around Elland Road could shift for the better as a result.
After picking up a first league win since bonfire night when defeating Southampton 1-0 at the weekend, the Spanish manager will want to build confidence within his side by picking up a Premier League scalp in the cup.
Marco Silva’s side will be no pushovers, and Leeds’ defence will have to be at their very best to keep Aleksander Mitrovic quiet, but a win in London could help restore the feel-good factor at the West Yorkshire club.
In other Leeds United news, one of Gracia’s key decisions in his first game shocked a Sky Sports pundit, but it worked.
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