{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
MOT View: Only 3.25 xG - Patrick Bamford banishes criticism with sparkling start for Leeds
Leeds United forward Patrick Bamford has faced strong criticism at Elland Road, ever since he arrived from Middlesbrough.
The 27-year-old scored 16 goals on the way to the Championship title, but many fans believed he should have scored much more than that.
Marcelo Bielsa has kept faith in Bamford after promotion to the Premier League, and he has definitely repaid his manager.
After his three strikes against Aston Villa on Friday, Bamford is currently sitting on six goals from as many games in the Premier League.
The Whites forward put his success down to having a manager in Bielsa who has faith in him and trusts him to fire his side to wins at the highest level.
Bamford hasn’t had that before, and even in the tough times last season, he was still given the chance to prove himself week after week.
Subscribe to Football Insider TV now
This season has proved that Bielsa was right to do that. Sky Sports have shared a graph that shows Bamford has an expected goal tally of only 3.25 this season.
Bamford was expected to score 11 more goals than he actually did last season according to WyScout, but this season has been the complete opposite.
His hat-trick against Aston Villa proved his level of efficiency has risen dramatically, as well as his decision making.
The first goal may have been an open net, but it would have been very easy for Bamford to smash it against Tyrone Mings, but instead, he smartly placed into the bottom corner.
Of course, the second and third will standout as superb finishes but the first shows that he has turned a corner, and this start to the season has banished previous criticism that he has faced before.
In other Leeds United news, Andrea Radrizzani claims Whites turnaround not complete
Be sure to follow MOT Leeds News on Facebook for 24/7 updates on the Whites and more exclusive content with Paul Robinson.