Leeds United boss Javi Gracia has claimed that his side need to be more “aggressive” in their upcoming fixtures, but has also stressed the importance of maintaining “balance” within the squad.
The Whites’ two most recent matches could not have been more imbalanced – as the West Yorkshire outfit suffered consecutive home batterings against Crystal Palace (1-5) and Liverpool (1-6).
These poor results have led to criticism of Gracia’s tactics from not only the fanbase, but also the world of football punditry, with many questioning the way the 52-year-old failed to adapt during both matches.
These concerns were even more stark in how Gracia set his side up for Monday’s clash with Liverpool, with the Merseyside club not ever coming under any significant threat from the Whites, whilst also being allowed to cut through the Leeds defence at will.
Gracia has agreed with claims that his side were too passive against Jurgen Klopp’s men, and has called for his squad to show more aggression in their match against Fulham on Saturday.
“We need to be more aggressive but not just to attack better, you need a balance, like we did before,” Gracia said in his pre-match press conference (via Yorkshire Evening Post).
“The next game is the most important one. We need the points, we are coming from two big defeats and we have to change the dynamic.
“We have to come back to compete.”
The Elland Road faithful will be hoping that their side will be able to find the right balance as soon as possible in order to stop their current slide towards the Premier League relegation zone.