A blistering start to the campaign means nothing to the Elland Road faithful who witnessed similar inception last summer but suffered a playoff heartbreak that shattered their promotion hopes at the end of last season.
Leeds United, still unbeaten after five gameweeks, are leading the Championship standings and a few of their stars have been hailed by Marcelo Bielsa after receiving stern criticism for wastefulness as well as erroneous outings towards the closure of the previous term. Patrick Bamford is one such individual who joined the Yorkshire giants with a great reputation but failed to justify the hype mostly due to form and fitness concerns.
Although the Leeds’ ‘number 9′ took time to adjust to Bielsa’s set-up, his return of 4 goals and an assist in 5 appearances is indicative of the fact that he has grabbed the opportunity in the aftermath of Kemar Roofe’s exit. The latter was preferred ahead of Bamford to spearhead the Whites’ attack, but his injuries and underperformance in the decisive period saw the gaffer sanctioning a move to Anderlecht earlier this month.
Bamford, meanwhile, found the net once again on Saturday afternoon against Stoke City. He is now high on confidence shaking off the shambles of the Nottingham Forest tie where his missed chances turned out to be costly when Lewis Grabban found a late equaliser.
“It’s important for him. Today, he scored one chance of a top scorer. He will win more confidence and calm from these goals as the season progresses.”
Bielsa told Leeds Live about his star striker.
Why Bamford Is Going To Be Key In Leeds Resurgence
It is not at all a straightforward task for a traditional centre-forward to get attuned to the Argentine’s free-flowing football. He is indubitably one of the best scorers of the league but, at the same time, needs a hatful of chances to net one. Bamford is fast, holds enormous potential and at 25, could only get better if appropriately guided. He needs to understand his ability to contribute a lot more than what he is offering right now.
Why The Fans Must Be Optimistic About His Current Form
His game has evolved in the recent weeks as the Englishman is trying his best to take part in the build-ups rather than waiting for crosses and passes inside the box. Yet he is firing in goals frequently and seems to have worked on his fitness during the break to exhibit agility as well as efficiency in and around the opponents’ half. There would be moments of disappointment, but the former Chelsea prodigy has shown enough determination already to prove his haters wrong.
