Where’s the fight?
The stakes were high at Dean Court. Bournemouth had plenty to play for still but for Leeds United, they knew nothing less than three points would do in their battle against Premier League relegation. It’s been a long old month under Javi Gracia, but to move four points clear of the drop zone with four games remaining would have certainly provided a much-needed dose of belief.
As it was Leeds just didn’t turn up on the south coast. The Whites were outplayed from the first whistle to the last and got everything they deserved, which, of course, was absolutely nothing. It was a performance without character, grit or desire as the Whites seemingly succumbed to their fate without as much as a whimper.
The defeat stung, but it will have been the manner of it that hurt most for those travelling supporters. The buck stops with Victor Orta and the board for many, but those fans in the south east corner of the ground appeared to turn on the players on the field towards the end of the game, too.
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Boos and chants of ‘you’re not fit to wear the shirt’ were heard across the home fans’ celebrations and most supporters will now be questioning whether United have what it takes to rise to the challenge ahead of them this month.
Meslier mistakes
Illan Meslier must have been in a relatively good place after Tuesday night’s draw with Leicester City. The goalkeeper had been heavily criticised for errors made in the build-up to that game, but he performed well against the Foxes and the crowd responded well to the saves he made.
He didn’t help himself at Dean Court, though, and many will be questioning whether it might be time for a change between the sticks for the final four games. Meslier could do little about Bournemouth’s first, but he was to blame for their second, flapping at a corner before pushing the ball out to Jefferson Lerma, who did the rest.
He should have done much better with the fourth goal, too, allowing Antoine Semenyo’s shot to squirm underneath him and into the back of the net. It was a damaging afternoon for the Frenchman and while the players ahead of him weren’t much better, his weaknesses were glaring.
Bournemouth were right to target him from set-pieces and others will see that as a route to victory over the remaining four matches.
What next for Gracia?
There’s no doubt about it, Gracia made a positive impact when he came in and three wins from his opening six games had Leeds flying up the table. That win over Nottingham Forest at Elland Road feels like a long time ago now, though, and in the space of five games it seems his position could now be at risk.
The Spaniard tried to change things up at Bournemouth by playing a 3-4-3 system but when it was obvious it wasn’t working, he lacked the answers to change it. He cut an isolated figure on the sidelines at Dean Court and quite frankly, he looked broken when he sat down in front of the press after the game.
With four games left, there are huge doubts about whether Gracia has the ability to halt Leeds’ tailspin and it seems the board could have a decision to make regarding his immediate future. It’s not working right now, few would argue against that, but would parting ways with the Spaniard make sense at this point of the season? It’s hard to say.
Do or die May
The situation is a bleak one for Leeds. Having missed the chance to get an acceptable amount of points on the board in April, United enter the four-game month of May with just a point between themselves and the drop zone.
They have the unenviable task of going to new league leaders Manchester City on Saturday and trying to get points. They then take on Newcastle United the following weekend and with the Magpies scoring for fun at present, many will be looking at Leeds’ leaky backline and fearing the worst there.
Leeds round off the season with games and West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur and if they’re to survive points simply have to be taken. The odds are officially against them now in a month that will almost certainly have a huge knock-on effect on the summer ahead, with takeover talk up in the air.
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