After 10 goals in his first 15 matches, Patrick Bamford’s Premier League goal glut has dried up and yielded just four goals in his last 19 outings.
Saturday saw another dismal and frustrating afternoon for Leeds United’s number nine, who touched the ball just 15 times in his 58-minute turn.
To put that into context, Pablo Hernandez had 19 touches as a 78th-minute substitute. Bamford was isolated and swamped by a three-man defence at the heart of the home win.
This was not the first time either. The first meeting with Brighton & Hove Albion also saw a three-man defence smothering Bamford at Elland Road.
As frustrating as this run has proven for Bamford, without a goal since that instinctive strike at Fulham in March, Bielsa was keen to move the accusatory finger away from his number nine.
Asked if there was anything the striker could have done different in East Sussex, Bielsa said: “No, I think not.
“We had a problem in the creation prior to the ball reaching Patrick, where he had no influence and he could not receive the ball in positions where he can cause harm to the opponent.
“When we can't overlap out wide and when we can't give the pass from the centre from a closer distance, it is difficult for him to shine.”
It was impossible not to draw an England narrative from that last goal at Fulham, struck with ferocity and within hours of a snub from Gareth Southgate.
The 27-year-old has four matches left to prove his worth to the watching national boss before he retires to form his verdict on what is expected to be a 26-man squad for Euro 2021.
Bamford may be hoping for the return of Raphinha sooner than any of us based on the service he was getting at The Amex.
