Javi Gracia to Leeds United: Former Watford boss will bring pragmatism and humility to Whites in relegation battle

There were only 30 minutes between the confirmation of Javi Gracia’s Watford sacking in September 2019 and the naming of Quique Sanchez Flores as his successor.

Even by the standards of the club’s Pozzo owners, it was ruthless. A few months earlier, Gracia had guided Watford to an 11th-placed Premier League finish and an FA Cup final. It was their best season in decades. The next one would end in relegation.

Watford feared they may be sliding towards that same fate when he took over in January 2018 amid the turbulence of Everton’s failed approach for Marco Silva, but Gracia steadied things. Results were not spectacular but, crucially, they were enough.

Watford survived, finishing the 2017/18 campaign eight points clear of the drop zone in 14th, and Gracia built from there. A side widely expected to struggle in the subsequent season, having lost their best player in Richarlison, instead exceeded all expectations.

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Javi Gracia's former clubs

Al Sadd (Dec 2021-Jun 2022)
Valencia (Jul 2020-May 2021)
Watford (Jan 2018-Sep 2019)
Rubin Kazan (May 2016-Jun 2017)
Malaga (Jul 2014-May 2016)
Osasuna (Sep 2013-Jun 2014)
Almeria (Jul 2012-Jun 2013)
Kerkyra (Nov 2011-Mar 2012)
Olympiacos Volou (Jun 2011-Aug 2011)
Villarreal B (July 2010-May 2011)
Cadiz (July 2008-Jan 2010)
Pontevedra (March 2007-Jun 2008)

It remains to be seen whether Gracia will get the chance to oversee a full season in charge of Leeds. There is much to be done before that even becomes a consideration and it is no secret the 52-year-old was not their first choice to succeed Jesse Marsch.

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But, given the circumstances, and while some Leeds supporters will need convincing over his credentials for the role, it is not difficult to see how the club’s decision-makers landed on him.

Gracia brings considerable experience, for a start, the former midfielder’s managerial career taking in spells in charge of 12 different clubs in five different countries, and two themes are consistent right across them.

Image: Javi Gracia and Unai Emery have met on numerous occasions as managers

“Above all, his teams are very organised, with a big commitment to helping each other,” said Unai Emery, a former team-mate and long-standing managerial opponent of Gracia’s, back in 2018.

Those traits were certainly evident at Malaga, where he secured back-to-back top-10 finishes in La Liga on a tight budget, taking points off Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the process, and again in the 2018/19 season at Watford, a side, like Gracia’s Malaga, defined by their togetherness, diligence and discipline.

They are qualities Leeds will need if they are to stay in the Premier League this season. Marsch spoke of progress before his sacking. On the pitch, though, chaos reigned. His team were too open, too easy to beat and, ultimately, too vulnerable to the threat of relegation.

There was plenty of effort – Leeds rank third among Premier League sides for distance covered this season behind Tottenham and Manchester City, while only Newcastle have made more sprints – but that effort needs to be channelled in the right way.

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Tim Thornton breaks the news that Javi Gracia has been appointed as the new Leeds United head coach on a flexible contract

That’s where Gracia can help. The Spaniard is meticulously analytical, tactically smart and, while his philosophy is more defensively-focused than those of his immediate successor and the much-loved Marcelo Bielsa before him, it is not without similarities.

“He is very big on pressing and pushing higher up the pitch,” explained Ben Foster, his goalkeeper at Watford.

“But 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.”

The emphasis on pressing opponents high up the pitch at Watford could be seen in the numbers. Like Leeds this season, the Hornets ranked highly among Premier League sides in 2018/19 in terms of high turnovers and possessions won in the final third.

Image: Javi Gracia's Watford played in a similar way to Leeds in some respects

There are similarities in the way they attacked too, with Gracia prioritising directness over possession.

His Watford side recorded an average direct speed almost identical to that of Leeds this season, with Gracia putting the emphasis on moving the ball forward in as few passes as possible in order to catch opponents unawares and out of position.

At Leeds, he is inheriting a squad already comfortable playing that way but crucially, Gracia is also adaptable. That much was clear during a conversation with the Spaniard at Watford’s London Colney training ground in August of that 2018/19 season.

“My mission as a manager is to get the best out of the players that I have, and you have to adapt to do that,” he told Sky Sports. “I can’t take over a team and say, ‘No, I want to play like this, I like to play 4-3-3 and I am always going to play 4-3-3’.

“That is not what a good manager does. Of course, I like to have possession. I like attacking football. But there is no attacking football if you don’t defend well or you don’t apply that to the whole team. That balance is necessary to compete and to win.

Image: Javi Gracia was well-liked among Watford players and supporters

“So, I think you have to be flexible and see what characteristics your players have. You have to know how to face every team and be able to adapt to different situations.”

That mentality may seem jarring to Leeds supporters given their enduring love for Bielsa, whose success at Elland Road was built on an unwavering commitment to his unique way of playing.

But the demands of the present situation are very different.

Bielsa arrived in the summer of 2018, with a full pre-season to prepare and a remit to rebuild from top to bottom. Gracia’s remit is simply to achieve survival. He is entering a fire fight mid-season and he will need to make the most of what he’s got.

Pragmatism may not be sexy but right now it is necessary. Leeds have not won in 10 Premier League games. Only Bournemouth, Leicester and Southampton have conceded more goals.

Gracia will seek to restore confidence and it will start on the training pitch, where his messages will be communicated clearly and calmy.

Image: Leeds' last win came in the FA Cup against Accrington Stanley

He is demanding of his players – “sometimes he is tough,” said Gerard Deulofeu of his time under Gracia at Watford – but he is also warm, approachable and, to quote Deulofeu, “good at managing the team” on a personal and individual level.

His coaching style is to transmit calm rather than chaos. He is authoritative but careful not to shout and scream for the sake of it.

“The manager here is a really good guy,” added Foster back at Watford. “The lads have bought into his ideas and he puts them across really well. He is calm, not a ranter and raver, and the players appreciate that.”

Four years on, this group of Leeds players may soon feel the same. Javi Gracia may not be the man for the long-term at Elland Road but, with the threat of relegation looming and a steadying hand required, he looks a good bet for the here and now.