Leeds United boss Javi Gracia's eyes light up at Chelsea mention but board can rest easy

There's an argument to be made that for a club who thought outside the box to get Marcelo Bielsa and probably Jesse Marsch too, not to mention a number of signings, a more obvious appointment was exactly what was required this time round, given the situation they are in. Gracia's Premier League experience, his availability and his demeanour made him a more obvious choice than other candidates who might be doing great things right now but would be entirely unknown quantities in the English top flight relegation battle.

And in the two games he has managed thus far, his almost instant impact on the way the team plays has tentatively suggested this might not just be an obvious appointment but the right one.

Two things already stand out. His assessment and addressing of the team's defensive vulnerability - it took a pair world class long-range finishes to beat them at Fulham and they haven't given up a big chance in two outings - and the calm he exudes. Nothing has fazed him yet, or if it has he just hasn't let the world know.

So much of the talk around Leeds over the past year has centred around their mental state, the stress Marsch sensed, and having such a combustible figure on the touchline can hardly have helped.

Gracia has twice brought up the 'very, very soft' decision to disallow Georginio Rutter's goal at Craven Cottage in a very measured way. As far as we're aware he did not threaten to invade the pitch or unleash an expletive-laden tirade that some unfortunate FA minute-taker was then forced to transcribe. Relegation battles are tension-filled by their very nature, the games are all big and the consequences very real, so a manager in control of himself is surely better placed to keep the emotions of his team in check.

His meetings with the press have held no real excitement and generated very few headlines. Football, tactics and the team's abilities he will discuss quite happily without majoring on individuals - see his perfectly pleasant machine gunning of an Archie Gray related line of questioning in midweek - and there hasn't been a single outlandish statement. The board need not await the pre or post-game press meetings with baited breath, it's all very safe. Guarded, without being rude. He hasn't even discussed the latest injury news, and it doesn't seem as if he ever will, because he just doesn't want to.

"I know you are really concerned about injured players but don't worry, they are in the best hands to recover as best as possible," he said on Thursday.

"I don't want to give information about players, some of them I don't know with security if they are going to be ready or not. The main reason is I don't want to speak about injured players."

Fair enough, headline thief, you win this time. But the twinkle in the Spaniard's eye did shine brighter than it has before when the subject of his Watford win over Chelsea cropped up on Thursday.

Remember that one Javi?

"I remember perfectly," he grinned.

"I remember perfectly that game, it was my second Premier League game. Like here, I played an FA Cup game against Stoke and Chelsea was the third game [overall] and we won. I hope this year will be the same. It was a very tough game, we were a little bit lucky because [Tiémoué] Bakayoko took a red card and after we played well but it helped us a little bit to get a great result."

A bit of luck would not go amiss at Stamford Bridge and Lord knows Leeds are due some in London. Gracia recognised in his discussion of Leeds' recent goalscoring struggle that fortune can play a part and even if he didn't make the point, he will know the sheer importance and value of clinical finishing in Saturday's game.

The first goal in particular could be utterly vital, in front of a crowd ready to scream blue murder at an under-pressure Blues boss and his players.

In such an atmosphere, with Chelsea in such a poor run of form, might it be worth an especially aggressive start? That's what Gracia wants, but not only that. He wants his team to get at the hosts and stay at their throats from the start to the finish, with a crescendo of aggression.

"I think it’s important to start very aggressive, to continue very aggressive and to finish more aggressive," he said.

That's more like it Javi. Tell us more about ramming it down the throat of an historic rival. Maybe mention their spending.

"To go to Stamford Bridge it’s always very tough and I had that experience and I know how demanding the game will be," he went on.

"In this moment, the necessity they have as well in terms of points, then we have to be very focused and prepare for a demanding game. we are focused on Chelsea, knowing it will be a very difficult game, in a great stadium, against a great team."

The sensible, respectful so-and-so even wished Potter well. So the headlines stay on ice. It's going to be all football, you feel, from here on in and when the fate of the club's entire off-field plans, hopes and dreams rests entirely upon what happens on the pitch over the next couple of months, that might be just the ticket for Leeds. Gracia is keeping the main thing the main thing. Leeds' sensible soccer era might finally have arrived.