Patrick Bamford had already proved the critics wrong. Back at the start of this weirdest of Premier League seasons, naysayers claimed the Leeds United striker would struggle to lead the line of this newly-promoted team back in the top flight.
Fans and pundits pointed to his miserly Premier League record while on loan at the likes of Crystal Palace, Burnley and Middlesbrough during his perpetual purgatory contracted to Chelsea.
They ignored the 16 goals he scored last season to help propel Leeds back to the promised land. He would flop here as he did elsewhere.
Yet Leeds fans – and crucially Marcelo Bielsa – have never had any doubts over their centre-forward. The 27-year-old who looks physically non-threatening and sometimes isolated up front for Leeds is defying those who said he’d never hack it against the big boys.
This we know. Plenty has been written and said about how Bamford, with 11 goals for the season that includes a match-winning hat-trick at Aston Villa, has surprised those who simply looked at his past record and shook their heads.
And he defied those critics once more on Sunday with a stunning goal and two assists in Leeds’ 3-1 plundering of Leicester. In doing so, the 6ft 1in forward ended a four-game drought stretching back to the 1-0 post-Christmas win over Burnley. Yet his goals are only one part of why Bielsa values Bamford so highly.
Bamford’s display in the entertaining win over Leicester was a masterclass in what Bielsa wants from his man. The striker harried and pressed when not in possession, and was there to distribute as soon as Leeds won the ball. He was millimetres from heading past Kasper Schmeichel from a first-half corner but got the goal he craved when beating the offside trap to lash home with his left foot.
Yet there was much more to his game than the headline goal. The way Leeds set up is all about progressing the ball fast when on the counter-attack. This requires the central striker to often drop deep – sometimes into his own half – to collect, turn and distribute forward.
We saw that in Leeds’ opening goal. Luke Ayling collected the ball in the right-back position and, as he so often does, burst forward into space. Meanwhile, Bamford dropped deep to receive, just as eventual goalscorer Stuart Dallas overlapped the forward. Leeds were able to transition the ball in two accurate passes and suddenly they were level. Minutes later and Raphinha was played through again by Bamford, only for Schmeichel to save.
A “typical” striker’s role is to hang off the shoulder of the central defender marking him and try to get in on goal himself. But that isn’t the style Bielsa demands, especially on Leeds’ favoured counter attack.
During the early stages of the campaign the West Yorkshire side benefited greatly from Bamford’s link-up play with wide men Jack Harrison and Raphinha. So much of Leeds’ possession goes down the flanks that the central striker cannot be expected to just linger in one position all game. Bielsa’s ethos of everyone being able to play everywhere – to track back when required, to bomb forward with abandon – doesn’t allow for slack.
Of course, the task of creating gaps for others, like Dallas, to run into is made much easier when the opposition play a high line. Leicester are gunning for the title and beat Leeds 4-1 at Elland Road earlier in the season, so they were never likely to sit back here. But that’s what gave Bamford and his support men the opportunity to attack.
Compare this to the 2-1 win over Newcastle in midweek, where the Toon defence sat much further back and stretched the gap between a lone forward and his midfield support. Leeds laboured to get forward and were arguably lucky to take all three points.
Patrick Bamford substitutions this season
- 4-3 loss to Liverpool – 62 mins (for Roberts)
- 4-3 win over Fulham – 70 mins (for Allioski)
- 1-0 win over Everton – 89 mins (for Costa)
- 1-2 win over West Ham – 74 mins (for Roberts)
- 5-2 win over Newcastle – 84 mins (for Roberts)
When Bamford endures a relatively quiet game, such as against Newcastle, Bielsa has no qualms with hauling him off. His man was subbed at St James’ Park on 60 minutes – the earliest he has been withdrawn all season. On came Tyler Roberts, who replaced the forward for only the third time all campaign.
Roberts was linked with a move away from Elland Road this January and is yet to score in the Premier League. But his duty against Newcastle was exactly the same as the man he replace: help create the position where the team might score, and maybe you’ll be the one to convert.
Leeds found themselves struggling to maintain possession in Leicester’s half as the game wore on at the King Power. That was to be expected for a team who run the yards Leeds do against a Leicester side challenging for the title.
Yet when play broke down and Bamford collected a through ball from Raphinha, his manager will have expected him to hit the target. Bamford duly delivered, as he has done all season.
With minutes to go he was there again, this time charging clear on another counter before selflessly laying off to Harrison to convert Leeds’ third. Asked about setting up Harrison, Bamford said: “It was nice to get the assist. A lot of the boys said to me to shoot on the last one. If I shoot there and I miss then it’s not worth it. For the team we needed that, that extra comfort. So it was good to score again.”
It is that “side over self” mentality that has got Leeds dreaming of a top-half finish and why Bamford is having the season of his career.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3j0xvAs
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