The whistle blew at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon to signal the end of a cagey 90 minutes of football.
A loud cheer erupted from the home fans as Everton were lifted out of the relegation zone. Relief oozed from the stands and onto the pitch. The job wasn’t complete, far from it. However, the Toffees are now in a great position to climb as far away from the deadly drop zone as possible.
Unfortunately, a different feeling spilled out of the Bullens Road Stand on the east side of the ground. Leeds United had made way for Sean Dyche’s men. A 1-0 defeat put the Lilywhites second from bottom, with only a point separating them from the foot of the table.
Something had to change, and it had to change fast. It had been more than a week since Jesse Marsch was relieved of his post. Michael Skubala took temporary charge of the team, and while Leeds made a great account of themselves in a double-header versus bitter rivals Manchester United, only a point from a possible nine was collected during the interim bosss spell in charge.
Approaches for West Brom boss Carlos Corberán and Rayo Vallecano head coach Andoni Iraola were met with swift rejections. But Leeds’ divisive Sporting Director Victor Orta had one more trick up his sleeve.
An unlikely candidate emerged from the woods, and three days after the defeat to Everton, the former Watford and Valencia manager Javi Gracia was appointed to the dugout at Elland Road.
This tactical analysis piece will analyse the tactics that Leeds supporters can expect from their side during the Spaniard’s reign.
Javi Gracia Formation
It was at Vicarage Road where Gracia made a name for himself in English football. He was largely an unheard-of coach in the United Kingdom, having managed clubs such as Rubin Kazan, Málaga, and Osasuna before taking over from Marco Silva with the Hornets in January 2018.
His first half-season with Watford was adequate. The London club remained in the Premier League and finished in a respectable 14th place.
Nevertheless, it was Gracia’s first full season in charge, which made him a memorable coach in the club’s history. The Hornets improved on their previous seasons performance by finishing three places higher, in 11th, missing out on the top half by just two points, which rounded off the clubs best campaign in the Premier League era.
But it was the team’s run in the FA Cup which capped off a sumptuous season. Watford reached the final of the historic competition, and while the 6-0 hiding to champions Manchester City felt like someone had sprinkled salt on their cake, it was still a wonderful achievement.
Under the Spanish coach’s tutelage, Watford adopted a relatively simple yet effective 4-4-2 formation, which transitioned into a 4-2-2-2 in possession, a detail we’ll discuss in greater depth later.
While the 4-4-2 and variations of it were Gracia’s preferred formations, other formations were also utilized during his reign. In fact, the now-52-year-old wasn’t afraid to make changes when necessary during a game.
For instance, in a Premier League match back in April 2019, Watford were level with Fulham at one goal apiece when the referee blew the half-time whistle. The Hornets were struggling against Scott Parker’s 3-4-3, and so changes needed to be made.
