Leeds United head for Premier League safety with Javi Gracia, stat shows stability under new boss
Leeds United are enjoying quite a ride under manager Javi Gracia, but the Whites still remain in real danger of Premier League relegation.
Much of their struggles this season were under former boss Jesse Marsch, but he has since been replaced in the dugout by Gracia, who was appointed on a flexible contract in February.
And the Spaniard has helped steady the ship at Elland Road, with Leeds climbing the table after their 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday (4 April).
Gracia began his tenure in perfect style with three points against Southampton, but he was quickly brought back down to earth with an FA Cup fifth round exit at the hands of Fulham.
But in the league, the Whites are performing admirably under Gracia, with Leeds winning six of their Premier League matches under the Spaniard, as many as they had in their previous 22 this season, according to OptaJoe.
Leeds supporters will not be completely concerned by Gracia’s two losses, which came against league leaders Arsenal and Chelsea.
Plenty of confidence can be taken from his one draw, which came against high-flying Brighton, but it will be the two victories that will have generated the most excitement for two reasons.
The first of which is the very obvious reason that the club picked up two much-needed wins, but the second involves the fact that they came against Wolves and Nottingham Forest, two clubs also struggling at the bottom end of the table.
The Whites have Crystal Palace up next, with the Yorkshire outfit still to play fellow strugglers West Ham, Leicester and Bournemouth. If Leeds can continue defeating such sides, there will be much less worry from fans when it comes to relegation talk.
It certainly wouldn’t be surprising to see Gracia target such matches for points, given the fact that Leeds must also play Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham before the season draws to a close.
In other Leeds United news, an Elland Road return cannot be ruled out for one former Whites player as he makes a coaching admission.