Opportunities for mid-season managerial appointments to put in the hard, uninterrupted yards with players are hard to come by. Premier League campaigns are relentless conveyor belts of the best footballers in the world looking to expose and ridicule rescue acts before coaches have even had the chance to establish which is every player’s preferred foot.
Javi Gracia had the pleasure of three matches in eight days when he first landed at Leeds United. Thankfully he has one of those rare openings coming up. The final international break of the season will give him and his staff a clear fortnight between their Molineux and Emirates Stadium trips to work the players.
Amid a forest of fixtures, it is the one clearing, the one breather Gracia will have to make this his team and prove why he has the acumen to keep Leeds in the division. It really throws down the gauntlet on tomorrow’s trip too.
