Patrick Bamford’s Liverpool Display Proves He’s Finally Ready to Showcase His Talents

If your interest in the Championship stretches no further than a brief check of the weekend’s scores, you’d be forgiven for assuming Leeds fans would see their 2019/20 crop of players as royalty.

However, despite securing their place in the Premier League for the first time in 16 years, one member of their promotion winning alumni isn’t quite so readily lauded.

Patrick Bamford’s 14 goals in last season’s second tier saw him finish as the club’s top scorer, yet that wasn’t enough to prevent him from being on the receiving end of a torrent of abuse from swathes of the Whites fan base.

In truth it’s difficult to argue that the majority of the criticism wasn’t warranted. The former Chelsea man’s campaign was strewn with spurned chances at big moments, and the burden of being the main man at a club of Leeds’ stature clearly began to weigh heavy.

However, Bamford’s performance at Anfield in his side’s narrow 4-3 defeat to champions Liverpool displayed the hallmarks of a player brimming with confidence, and in just 90 minutes of football the 27-year-old proved this is finally his time to shine on English football's grandest stage.

Having notched just once in his 27 Premier League outings to date - following spells with Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Burnley and Middlesbrough - and with marquee summer signing Rodrigo available for selection, eyebrows were raised prior to kick off as Marcelo Bielsa afforded Bamford his Premier League debut for Leeds.

However, Bielsa's man management is top class; his selection was a nod towards Bamford still being his main man, and psychologically that clearly had a huge bearing on the frontman's display.

Throughout his career confidence has played a huge part. In his first spell at Middlesbrough he had the unwavering support of boss Aitor Karanka and went on to be named Championship Player of the Year.

However, when given a chance in the Premier League with Palace, Norwich and Burnley, there was no such support. He was merely afforded cameo roles and thrown up front in the hope he would grab a goal - a tactic which will never bring the best out of him.

Similarly at Leeds last season, despite finishing top scorer he would endure seven and a ten-game goal droughts respectively - proof that when things aren't going right for Bamford, the wheels tend to fall off a little.

His strike against Liverpool will have filled him with even more confidence, as he finally begins to dispel the myth that he can't cut it in the top tier.

While doubling his career Premier League account will undoubtedly be the highlight of Bamford's trip to Anfield, his all round play in general was excellent. Although he doesn't necessarily pose much of a physical threat, the forward's nous and movement is fantastic, something which Virgil van Dijk found out to his cost.

The Liverpool centre-back was perhaps guilty of underestimating the Leeds number nine, with the Dutchman regularly caught out by his movement.

For much of the 2019/20 season the Whites were tasked with breaking down teams whose plan was to sit behind the ball and counter, meaning Bamford's movement and guile went unnoticed, with very little space to work in.

However, as shown at Anfield, Leeds won't have similar issues this season, meaning their number nine is far more likely to have an impact than he was in the Championship when he'd spend large periods of games shackled by defenders.

Leeds fans' scepticism towards Bamford is understandable given his stuttered start to life at the club, and his record in the Premier League is hardly one to boast of. However, it's unfair to judge him on his fleeting top-flight campaigns of the past, and with his account for the season already open and Bielsa keen to give him a chance, the frontman could be set to prove a lot of people wrong.