‘There’s no quality’ – BBC pundit suggests Leeds key player left ‘Deflated’ after draw v Preston
BBC Radio Leeds pundit Noel Whelan has suggested that Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford could have been left “deflated” due to the lack of quality support he received in the 1-1 draw with Preston on Boxing Day.
Bamford, 26, was substituted off by Marcelo Bielsa just after the hour mark to be replaced by Eddie Nketiah after having barely any impact against Alex Neil’s side.
According to stats by WhoScored, Bamford had just 18 touches of the ball in 64 minutes while his replacement Nketiah went on to have 17 in less than half an hour.
Bamford also registered just one shot at goal – which was blocked by a Preston defender – and only made nine accurate passes.
It was a frustrating game for the former Chelsea and Middlesbrough striker and there were some fans who were less than pleased with Bielsa’s decision to take him off in the second half.
Ex-Leeds striker Whelan has suggested that Bamford struggled due to the lack of support from the midfield and wide areas and claims that Bielsa’s decision to hook him was a bit harsh.
“I felt sorry for Patrick because I think that was the worst game I’ve seen with aimless balls played up to him with no quality in the air,” Whelan told Football Insider.
“It was just hoofed down the pitch and he’s had to turn something bad into something good. Sometimes you can get deflated by that as a lone striker where you’re feeding off bad balls, you can’t deal with it.
“What are you supposed to do when you’re bringing it down and it’s got snow on it, bouncing all over the place?
“There’s no quality up to your chest to hold it up. I felt sorry for him because it was a difficult game for a centre forward to play in.
“He was probably a bit unlucky to be pulled off, to be honest with you.”
A lot has been said about Bielsa’s decisions to substitute Bamford off and replace him with Nketiah this season.
Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
However against Preston on Boxing Day, it definitely worked.
Nketiah almost scored as soon as he came on and Leeds just looked, overall, a better side with the on-loan Arsenal man up front.
It does not mean that Bamford played badly, sometimes a substitution is required to spark some new life into the side and that is what happened on Boxing Day.
In other Leeds United news, fans have urged Bielsa to start this youngster against Birmingham on Sunday.