Patrick Bamford dismissed any doubts that have been addressed to him in the Premier League this season. The 27-year-old scored seven goals in eight games. This record is only surpassed by four players: Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jamie Vardy, Son Heung-Min, and Mohamed Salah. His clinical performance in front of goal helped Leeds United reach the best points score (10) among promoted teams.
Before the season rolled around, not a few parties doubted Bamford. In the Championship last season, although his goalscoring score was not bad (16 goals in 45 matches), the Nottingham Forest academy graduate fell behind Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ollie Watkins and Lewis Grabban in the top scorers. He even failed to match the tally of goals by Jarrod Bowen (17) who moved to West Ham midway through the season.
Rodrigo Moreno, whose arrival broke the Leeds transfer record, was seen as a substitute for Bamford. However, Marcelo Bielsa seems to have other plans. When Rodrigo was installed as a second striker or even a central midfielder, Bamford was still believed to be the no. 9 Leeds.
Bamford paid Bielsa’s trust in advance. Together with The Whites, he is not only ferocious in executing opportunities, but also clever in implementing Bielsa’s tactics. Bamford often made dummy moves that launched the Leeds overload scheme, moved to the side to open up space, and was smart about reading the situation.
Bamford’s main strength is his intelligence. He has a brilliant vision as a striker. Bamford repeatedly ran in behind and penetrated the opponent’s back line. In top ball situations, Bamford also often finds gaps between two defenders to execute passes.
“The last time [I was in the Premier League] maybe people said I wasn’t ready, but I didn’t have the opportunity to deserve to enter it. This is a fresh start for me to prove that I deserve to be here, “said Bamford after scoring a hat-trick against Aston Villa, 24 October.
Behind the prolific Bamford, Bielsa’s offensive tactics were the key factors behind it. After a 16-year hiatus, Leeds dared to break into the Premier League and appeared to attack. Leeds’ total number of shots (106) in the Premier League this season is only surpassed by Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.
In addition, Bamford should be grateful to the creative midfielders who routinely supply dangerous passes to him. So far, there are three Leeds midfielders who have served Bamford the most similar to waiters serving their customers. They are Jack Harrison, Helder Costa, and Mateusz Klich. Costa has provided one assist and three key passes to Bamford this season. Meanwhile, Jack Harrison, on loan from Man City, provided one assist and six passes that led to a shot for Bamford.
Mateusz Klich provides a more regular ball supply. The Polish midfielder scored Bamford’s three goals and sent him seven key passes. When facing Crystal Palace, 7 November, Klich also made an “assist” for Bamford. But unfortunately, Bamford’s hand was sentenced to offside because it pointed to the direction of the space it was aiming for.
Thanks to those three players, Bamford often gets shooting space from good positions. In the 2020/21 Premier League, Bamford made 26 shots in the box, the highest in the league with Mohamed Salah. Bamford’s shooting position is only 11.4 yards on average.
Leeds will rely on Bamford’s expertise, supported by the creativity of the attacking midfielder when they play against all of their opponents in the remaining matches in EPL. We will see whether Bamford will be able to prove himself to be the best offensive forward in the England’s Premier League.
ASL
