Leeds United fans left Elland Road on Tuesday feeling as if an opportunity had been missed after they were held to a 1-1 draw against Leicester.
It was a crucial game for Javi Gracia, as three points would have lifted the Whites four points above the bottom three.
Unfortunately, the Spaniard could not oversee a victory, and he has now come under fire from Jermaine Beckford for his management of the significant relegation six-pointer.
What’s the story?
Well, Gracia only made two substitutions – one of which was forced after Luis Sinisterra suffered an injury – and bizarrely left Wilfried Gnonto on the bench as Leeds threw two points away.
Speaking about the 52-year-old’s decision to make just two changes and ignore the Italy international, Beckford told BT Sport: “As soon as Sinisterra got injured, you could hear the whole stadium just erupted with Willy Gnonto, they started singing his song.
“I don’t know (why he didn’t come on). If I’m brutally honest I don’t know. There was another opportunity to bring him on as well when Brenden Aaronson came on. There were only two substitutions today and one of them was forced. That’s bizarre.”
Gracia started well at Leeds with two wins and a draw from his first five games, but he has quickly become a source of frustration due to some very odd decisions.
Leeds United vs Leicester provides cause for concern
In our view, Leeds fans will be feeling very pessimistic about their chances of survival after Tuesday’s 1-1 draw.
It is one thing to see poor results occur when a manager is using his best players, but for Gracia to be ignoring the likes of Gnonto and the £36m Georginio Rutter as relegation stares Leeds in the face is hugely concerning.
It almost feels like friendly fire – why is the Spaniard shooting himself in the foot like this?
As things stand, it feels as if Gracia is highly unlikely to be offered a contract extension this summer, even if he manages to keep Leeds in the Premier League.
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