‘PRESSURE IS HELPING TO MAKE ME GROW’
AMONTH ago, many wondered whether Leeds hadn’t got the sweet end of the deal when Garry Monk spurned a new contract and defected to Middlesbrough.
Six wins from nine, top of the Championship, expansive and attacking, the Whites were flying under new gaffer Thomas Christiansen.
Boro, meanwhile, had spent big but fallen flat. Results – and excitement – were scarce and a limp defeat to Cardiff in mid-October left the Teessiders outside the top half.
How that complexion has altered. Three straight victories have powered Monk’s men into the play-off scrap.
Leeds have lost six of the last seven and plummeted to ninth. Christiansen, for the first time since leaving Cypriot champions Apoel in June, is under real pressure.
“It makes me feel alive,” the Dane insisted this week. “I like these challenges, honestly. Of course, when things are going wrong, it isn’t nice. But it is when you grow as a coach.”
How long will Christiansen be allowed to grow?
Managing director Angus Kinnear offered firm public backing on Thursday, insisting Leeds aren’t far off what the board expects.
But his statement was riddled with caveats, while whispers around Elland Road suggest the manager’s position will be reassessed after this week’s trips to Wolves and Barnsley.
Having sparkled in August and September, Christiansen refuted suggestions that Championship rookies Samu Saiz and Ezgjan Alioski are feeling the burn.
“This is something I have to think about,” he admitted. “But don’t forget that last season Samu played 42 games in Spain for Huesca. That’s a huge amount.
“Here, we have two cups of course, but that’s still a lot of time on the pitch. SundayWednesday, almost every week. In his case, he can handle it.
“Alioski is experienced, a national team player. That means he has also experienced lots of midweek games. It is not a problem.”
Window
So what is? With the exception of Pontus Jansson, Leeds’ young squad lacks natural leaders. Asked directly about this issue, Christiansen sidestepped. “I have the squad that I have,” he said enigmatically.
“If we want to improve the squad, it is something we’ll talk about internally.
“At the moment, I am not concerned about that. We have time until the transfer window opens and, in that time, we have to focus on results.”
What Christiansen – and indeed midfielder Kalvin Phillips – did concede was that Leeds are struggling for confidence.
“It is a difficult situation,” said the 44-year-old. “You can tell them how good they are. You can give speeches and encouragement in training. But confidence must come from inside.
“I believe that hard work makes things easy. It is the best way to come out of the difficult moments like this. Once you have passed this difficult moment, then you can work on improving and doing all the extra things. But when you aren’t winning games, you need to work harder on the basics.
“When I played, my situation was a specific one, because I was a striker. In that position, you always have bad runs and good runs.
“But the principle was the same: when the bad runs come, you have to work harder. That means being in the right position when the ball comes in. Making a bigger effort to track back and help the team.
“It is like the lottery. You cannot win the jackpot if you don’t buy a ticket. You have to invest to get something back. Nothing is free. If you keep doing the same things as you have, then you will not progress.
“Most of all, believe in yourself and believe in the things the coach tells you to do. My message to the players is to do this, this and this. Their job is to believe that it can happen in the game. If they do, things will improve.”
In mitigation, Christiansen has just three fewer points than Monk’s side had accrued at this stage last season. A bloody nose for his predecessor today would, he insists, change everything.
“I believe that, yes,” he said. “If we get a result against a very good team like Middlesbrough, it could be the beginning of a new moment.”