Javi Gracia faces the media today in his Brighton & Hove Albion pre-match press conference with Leeds United and here are some of the topics he may be faced with at Thorp Arch
Javi Gracia faces the media on Thursday afternoon for his pre-match press conference. The Leeds United head coach will take questions from television, radio, print, and online journalists at Thorp Arch ahead of the Brighton & Hove Albion clash on Saturday.
Here is a run-down of some of the main topics on the agenda for the boss to address at the training ground today.
Saturday’s absentees
The media are unlikely to expect too many answers from the medical department, but questions have to be asked and Gracia may be willing to part with some details today. Adam Forshaw, Liam Cooper, Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas, Rodrigo, and Luis Sinisterra were all missing last weekend at Chelsea.
Cooper and Bamford were understood to be close to making the Stamford Bridge trip, while Rodrigo has already made it clear he expects to be back in contention before the international break.
United’s under-21 side currently sits first in Premier League 2 Division Two and in their most recent match, on Monday night, they walloped bottom-of-the-table Derby County 3-0. The Rams have drawn one and lost 13 of their 14 matches this season, so you might say it was an expected result.
However, dispatches from York suggested Darko Gyabi and Sonny Perkins were especially impressive on the night. Gracia was in the stands and watching the game too.
There may be a question on his thoughts about that young pair and how interested he is in blooding youth prospects in the midst of a relegation dogfight.
Gnonto to return?
One of the bigger talking points, as we came away from Stamford Bridge on Saturday, was the logic of dropping Wilfried Gnonto from the starting line-up. Gracia is never going to reveal his line-up like Marcelo Bielsa was tempted to on occasions, but he could be pushed on how the Italian has done in training to win his place back.
A first, clear training week
Gracia’s appointment may have been announced four days before his first match with Southampton, but strictly speaking, he was not allowed to work with the players until 27 hours before kick-off at the earliest. Then last week was obstructed by the midweek trip to Fulham in the cup.
Gracia is currently in the midst of his first full week of training, free of any distractions. He may be asked about how the week has gone and how much better prepared he feels for Saturday’s game against Brighton.
Firpo’s renaissance
Junior Firpo’s arrival and subsequent difficulties obviously predate Gracia’s arrival at Elland Road, but given where the left-back stock is right now, the head coach could be pushed for his thoughts on how Firpo has impressed him since arriving.
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