In his long message bidding farewell to Leeds fans after his departure, Javi Gracia believes Leeds were better than their relegation rivals.
The Spaniard said his first words after his Leeds United tenure ended with a statement after his sacking. In the statement, Gracia was grateful to fans for their support, and praised his backroom staff.
He believes Leeds were doing well compared to their relegation rivals since he was named coach, and that it is unfortunate his tenure came to an abrupt end.
“I’m grateful for this opportunity and proud of the team, both players and coaching staff,” he said. “That’s how I would like to summarise my time at Leeds United.” via LeedsLive
“I would have preferred a different moment, but the circumstances have changed. We arrived on a short three-month contract and we did it because we believed in this team.
“The coaching staff and I took over the team in 19th position, with a run of ten games without a win. Today, after 11 games played and four games left in the league, the team is out of the relegation zone and with a good chance of achieving the objective.
“It has been a very intense period for many reasons. A busy schedule, injuries and a young, but skilled team.
“However, we managed to position ourselves better than our rivals and this is shown by the results. Compared to our direct rivals and since we were hired, we are the team with the most points, 11 in total, compared to our main competitors.”
