Leeds United manager Javi Gracia has warned that “nothing has changed” in the club’s fight for Premier League survival, and that another “final” awaits the Whites in Sunday’s home match against Crystal Palace.
Leeds were in the Premier League’s relegation zone going into Tuesday night’s game at Elland Road against relegation rivals Nottingham Forest, but a 2-1 victory propelled the Whites up five places to 13th.
United, on the other hand, are still only two points clear of the bottom three, and Whites head coach Gracia has
denied that a burden had been lifted ahead of this weekend’s visit by 12th-placed Palace.
“Nothing has changed for me,” Gracia declared. “We need more points and try to play with the same passion and energy. For me, nothing has changed.
“I know we can talk about how important it is to get six (points) in a row, to get six in these two games, but I’m not looking at our last game to determine how important the next one is. Sure, we need to win the next game, but we’ve done it in all of our previous games.
“It’s a new game now, with a clear goal in mind and a need for points. Now is the time to concentrate on that game and give it your all. It’s as if we’re in the finals. We need the points, and we must play with that mindset.”
Leeds now have 29 points after beating Forest on Tuesday, with nine games remaining. It is widely assumed that 40 points are sufficient for safety, despite the fact that 35 points would have sufficed in the previous five seasons. Gracia, on the other hand, isn’t thinking about what the required tally might be to survive this term.
“I’m not sure,” Gracia replied when asked if 40 points would suffice. “If you look at different seasons, you’ll notice different points and situations, but I’m not concerned with that. I’m only thinking about the points available in the next game. We need the next three points, and I need the next three points.”
Gracia went on to say: “We must understand how difficult it is to win this competition. We did it in our previous game, but we know how difficult it is to get three points in play. Of course, we have a positive attitude and will try our hardest, but we must be humble and value every single point we have.”
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