What Javi Gracia has noticed about the Leeds players in early training sessions

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Javi Gracia has been giving his first words as Leeds manager today as he discussed a wide range of issues in his first presser.

Gracia has been tasked with keeping Leeds in the Premier League. And the first game of his tenure couldn’t be any bigger, with fellow strugglers Southampton coming to town. The Saints also have a new manager in place and will be keen to kick on from last week’s 1-0 win at Chelsea.

For Leeds, a win is a must. Defeat at Everton has left the club in disarray after a protracted search for a new boss.

However, Gracia has told Leeds Live that from what he’s seen in training already, he feels the Leeds players are right up for the fight and keen to make amends.

“From training today, I felt they were really focussed on the game. That’s the feeling I’ve had from my first day, the players are involved and they want to improve the situation,” Gracia said.

Leeds were in relegation trouble last season but rallied late in the day to survive. However, big players involved in that push such as Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha have now departed.

Gracia, then, will be hoping some new heroes step up in the coming weeks to guide Leeds away from the bottom three.

TBR’s View: Leeds players will want to impress Javi Gracia

This weekend is vital for Leeds. The good news is that they have the manager in place now and Elland Road will be hoping for some of that new manager bounce come Saturday evening.

Gracia will do what he can with the players. But ultimately, it’s down to those players to go out and do the business.

Leeds struggled under Bielsa eventually before going the same way under Jesse Marsch. It’s now on those players to get the club right and out its current mess.