‘Got to be braver’ – Michael Owen destroys one Leeds player, claims he is Championship level
Michael Owen has said that the game between Leeds United and Leicester on Monday night was a “tale of two strikers” as he praised Jamie Vardy and criticised Patrick Bamford.
Owen claimed that this was the Bamford he had expected to see “coming out of the Championship.”
The game finished 4-1 to Leicester but it could have been different had Bamford taken an easy chance in the first couple of minutes.
Instead, he put his header straight into Kasper Schmeichel’s hands and 16 seconds later Vardy had set up the opener for Leicester.
Owen was talking on Optus Sport and gave his verdict on Bamford.
“It would be harsh to say this was the Bamford we probably expected coming out of the Championship; it would be harsh, but it probably is.
“He has exceeded all expectations so far in the Premier League but when you see Vardy and his cuteness, his precision, when he sees half a chance he is in for the kill. Whereas Bamford, he has needed a couple of chances and still hasn’t scored. He’s got to be braver.
“I know I hear people say ‘you’ve got to hit the target’. No, that’s what happens when you just hit the target. It is not about hitting the target – that’s when you’re eight years old, you just hit the target.
“When you’re a Premier League striker you have got to take risks… and try to find corners. It is not about hitting the target. Then they go down the other end and do what Leicester do best.”
Why Owen is Down Under
It must be tough being a footballer in the modern-day.
One minute you’re being hailed as a future England striker, the next you’re being relegated back down to the Championship.
In a way, that’s what’s happened to Owen himself after losing the plum BT Sport gig and ending up on Optus Sport in Australia.
Should Bamford have scored the header in the first two minutes? Yes.
Should Vardy have scored when he was through one-on-one with Illan Meslier? Also yes.
Bamford just has to put this game behind him and concentrate on the next one. He’s not going to score every game and post a record of 38 goals in the Premier League no-matter-what Owen thinks he should be doing.
He’ll have good days and bad days and this was a poor performance from a number of players, not just from Bamford.
In other Leeds United news, Gary Lineker delivers verdict on Leeds v Leicester after 4-1 defeat for Whites