Patrick Bamford has provided insight into what he’s added to his game this season, and addressed the chances he’s missed.
The Leeds United striker was named man of the match and received widespread praise for the physicality and work-rate he showed leading the line in Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion.
It’s now been five games without a goal for Bamford, who had drawn criticism for firing blanks and missing chances, with some calls for Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah to be given a first Championship start in his place.
He missed a good chance to double United’s lead in the first half, finding a shooting opportunity inside the six-yard box but finding himself unable to fire past Sam Johnstone, but he otherwise put in a strong display and effectively held up the ball to help see out the narrow win.
“I think that maybe last year one of the things that I was criticised for a little bit was not being aggressive enough,” he said, speaking after the win.
“‘Can he do it upfront on his own?’ I knew I could, I knew I had the strength, I just had to add that aggression into my game.
“I think that this season my performances have been a lot higher than they were last year. I know I’ve probably missed a few chances still, but as long as I’m getting the chances it’s not to worry about.
“I’ll keep working for the team and if the team keeps winning, that’s the main thing.”
Leeds are currently back top of the division, but six teams have scored more goals, and they could have a more comfortable lead were it not for the ten points dropped from games that were largely dominated in terms of territory and possession as well as chances created.
Judging by expected goals (xG), Marcelo Bielsa’s men have recorded better quality chances in every single Championship game they’ve played so far this season.
It’s been suggested that Bamford is one of the key culprits in the team underperforming their expected goals this season. That’s not lost on the 26-year-old, but he’s confident the goals will come as long as chances keep falling his way.
“I’m probably more critical than even the fans are of myself,” he added.
“I look at it and I’ve got four, but I should probably have… how many games is it now? Ten? I should have ten goals, if I look at it like that. If I look at one per game, that’s the target I set myself.
“I’ve had the chances. Sometimes keepers make good saves, sometimes my finishing, like the chip at Derby, that was poor looking back at it. So I’ll keep working on it after training, it’ll come and I’m sure I’ll get the goals that we need.”
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