Patrick Bamford was disappointing in Leeds United’s loss to Manchester City on Saturday, giving the ball away on a regular basis when the Whites desperately needed someone to keep possession.
That is according to BBC Radio Leeds pundit Jon Newsome, who was not impressed by the striker’s display leading the line at the Etihad Stadium as Leeds suffered a 2-1 loss.
It is probably a scoreline Whites fans would have taken beforehand. But there were some encouraging signs in defeat, with Sam Allardyce’s men showing more fight than they had done in the games before his arrival.
Newsome not impressed by Patrick Bamford in Leeds loss
What we cannot do however, is pretend that there is not a huge amount of work ahead. Had Manchester City wanted to, they could put the game to bed long before Rodrigo made the final stages a little more interesting.
And one of the problems was the performance of Patrick Bamford. The striker was picked ahead of Rodrigo. And it proved to be a difficult afternoon for the 29-year-old.
He struggled to hold the ball up when the chance presented itself. And that meant that Leeds were rarely able to relieve the pressure, particularly during the first-half.
Certainly, Newsome felt that the visitors needed the striker to do a lot better given the quality of the opposition.
“I thought the role that he was asked to play was an incredibly difficult one, up there playing the solo striker. But I was a little bit disappointed in him in all honesty, especially in the first-half,” he told BBC Radio Leeds.
“I thought his touch was poor. He kept giving the ball away. And I know he was under pressure at times. But there were occasions when the ball came into him, and what you want your centre forward to do is get hold of it, make it stick, take two touches, bring your midfielders into play.
“And he didn’t do that. His touch was poor. He didn’t get his body, he didn’t shield the ball. He gave the ball away.”
It will be interesting to see who gets the nod against Newcastle next weekend. Most Leeds fans would previously argue that the side generally look better with Bamford than when Rodrigo is up front.
However, there is no contest between the two when it comes to goals this season. And with that, many would probably make the change against the Magpies.
Leeds have some tough fixtures ahead. So if they get good chances, they simply have to take them. And the man more likely to do that right now is the Spaniard.