Phil Hay shares Javi Gracia behind-the-scenes Leeds United change
Javi Gracia has reportedly altered the training week at Leeds United and has moved to a more tactics-focused approach at Thorp Arch.
According to The Athletic journalist Phil Hay [5 April], this is closer to what Marcelo Bielsa did with the Whites players back when he was at the helm.
The Spaniard also appears to be strict on his timekeeping and prefers explaining his decisions to his squad rather than getting into arguments.
Hay wrote, “He got the backroom staff he wanted and rendered Chris Armas, his predecessor’s assistant, a spare part by leaving him out of it.
“He altered the training week and moved a little closer to the depth of Marcelo Bielsa’s analysis sessions. His timekeeping is strict and the players found out quickly that he preferred to explain decisions rather than debate them.
“It was too late in the season to be everything at once but it mattered that he was seen to be running the show.”
Good move
Bielsa was extremely methodical about his tactical preparation for games and that approach saw him achieve success at Elland Road.
Training sessions were intense but it was also important to train the minds of the players in order to get them play a certain way.
Positional awareness was a key tenet of the Argentine’s style of play at Leeds and it remains to be seen what Gracia plans to achieve.
In a relatively short time, there are already stark differences between him and Jesse Marsch and that shows that it may be the right appointment until the end of the season.
There are managers that take time to get the teams playing in their image while there are some that can make the quick fixes needed to be efficient.
Thus far, it seems like the Spaniard is the latter and if he’s taking the good from the Bielsa days and applying it to his training methods then it can only be a positive for the club.
In other Leeds United news, a teenager now looks closer than ever to his debut after what he did at Thorp Arch during the international break with Javi Gracia taking note.
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