Legendary Leeds United defender Tony Dorigo has backed his former side to escape relegation from the Premier League this season, but has claimed that the Whites need to “put everything in” to find results.
Javi Gracia’s time at Leeds got off to an impressive start when he replaced former boss Jesse Marsch, as the Spaniard saw his side pick up 10 points from a possible 18 in the league in his first six games in charge (3W, 1D, 1L).
Then came a considerable slump in form as the Whites suffered humiliating back-to-back home defeats – 5-1 to Crystal Palace and 6-1 to Liverpool.
Since their last win – a 2-1 victory at home against Nottingham Forest – Leeds have only managed to pick up 1 point from a possible 12.
And with a must-win clash with Bournemouth on the horizon, tension around the West Yorkshire club is at an all-time high.
Following the Bournemouth game on Sunday, the Whites face Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham and finally Tottenham as they seek to escape relegation from the top-flight for the second season running.
Dorigo acknowledges Leeds’ relatively difficult run-in, but also believes that they have what it takes to pick up crucial results before the season finishes.
“Can we do it? Yes, we still can. There are still possibilities,” Dorigo wrote in Yorkshire Evening Post.
“Is it getting more difficult? It really is. We’re looking at every single result elsewhere because we might need a little help here and there as well but it does look like the points tally won’t need to be as high as I thought.
“We won’t be needing 38, but we will need a couple of wins from somewhere and we have to put everything in to try and find them.”
As the Premier League draws to a close for another year Leeds United’s goal of avoiding relegation couldn’t be more pressing – something the players will be well aware of upon kick-off at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday.
