Junior Firpo admits he has heard good things about new Leeds United manager Javi Gracia ahead of this weekend’s crucial six-pointer with Premier League rivals Southampton, speaking to talkSPORT (23 February, 11.50am).
It’s never simple, is it?
Gracia, according to the Daily Mail, has been prevented from even taking training at Elland Road as he awaits a work permit; post-Brexit legislation meaning the Yorkshire giants now face an awkward wait with kick-off against Southampton now just 48 hours or so away.
A far from ideal situation, given the importance of Saturday’s potentially season-defining clash. Gracia arrives on on a short-term deal to save Leeds from relegation. And he really could have done without distractions such as this.
Will Javi Gracia take charge of Leeds United in Southampton clash?
The 52-year-old Spaniard returns to England three-and-a-half years after his sudden departure from Watford. Gracia led the Hornets to their best-ever Premier League finish and the 2019 FA Cup final; paying the price for a poor start to the following season.
And, following his appointment, former Real Betis left-back Firpo wasted little time in canvassing opinion from those with first-hand experience of the former Malaga, Valencia and Osasuna coach.
“I asked some friends,” Firpo begins. “They say he is a really good person. His staff are really good people, and they work really hard to get results.
“It is exactly what we needed. Even better because he has some Premier League experience. This gives us confidence that he did really good with another team (Watford) in the past.”
Gracia, at Leeds, should be a case of ‘evolution’ rather than ‘revolution’. His high-energy, high-pressing 4-2-2-2 system is similar to that preferred by predecessor Jesse Marsch. And the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville and Luis Sinisterra should be enthused about the way Gracia coaxed career-best performances out of Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra at Vicarage Road.
“He’s calm, not a ranter and raver. And the players appreciate that,” former Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster once told The Mirror of Gracia.
“He is very big on pressing and pushing higher up the pitch. The main thing is work-rate. There’s a lot of high-intensity running, closing down and closing the space. We’re quite aggressive as well.”
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