Will Bielsa’s Leeds ever sign a true backup striker?

Where others are taught to embrace versatility under Marcelo Bielsa, Patrick Bamford is perhaps the staunchest opponent to the concept of footballing flexibility.

This isn’t something typed in an attempt to criticise the striker for lacking the utility aspect desired elsewhere on the pitch. For one, he is enjoying the best season of his professional career, after all. Instead, it is stated to implore people to understand the sheer value brought to Leeds by Bamford’s adherence to his role in the team.

Whilst not multi-faceted in terms of position, Bamford’s evolution as a striker under Bielsa has been remarkable. The attacker now fully utilises his natural frame. His physicality and hold-up play are a beautiful coupling, now further sweetened by the improved clinical nature in his finishing, particularly in the Premier League.

Bamford is the main outlet of the Leeds attack. Bielsa’s system sees each of his players, including their keeper, contribute in what often culminates as a fine attacking move, with Bamford the one on hand to complete the move by burying a strike into the back of the net, an act he has done 13 times this season (at the time of writing).

Thankfully for the Whites, Bamford’s last two years in West Yorkshire have been quite plain-sailing, at least in regards to injury. In his first season, he was particularly limited by injuries, seeing himself away from the first eleven for, collectively, months. Since then, however, the striker has missed only one game, a true testament to his fitness.

The lack of injury to Patrick Bamford in what can be considered his two full seasons has meant that Leeds have never really had a considerable period of time without him. Should such misfortune dawn upon the Elland Road side, however, do they really have someone who can fill his boots?

As already stated above, Bamford struggled with injuries in his first season at Leeds, limited to only 22 league appearances. At the time, Leeds had Kemar Roofe to fill the striking role, as well as a younger Tyler Roberts who, at the time, was only really utilised as a striker.

 

Roofe was always a well-liked player at Leeds, who became particularly useful when returned to the centre of the pitch after a spell of predominant use as a winger. Upon his departure to Anderlecht after the conclusion of the 2018/19 season, Leeds drafted in Eddie Nketiah on loan from Arsenal in order to bolster their attack.

It was fair, given his ability and consistency, that Nketiah was disgruntled at the fact that he was mainly appearing as a substitute for Leeds, however in the rare glimpses given to fans when Nketiah started, the absence of Bamford was worryingly clear.

Roofe was smaller in size than Bamford, but always maintained a certain physical nature to his game as well as being able to utilise his natural athleticism when leaping for headers. Nketiah was a lightning-quick player and was something of a Jermain Defoe type player for Leeds, scoring crucial goals from the bench when his side needed it most.

 

What the Arsenal loanee possessed in speed, however, he lacked in strength. Nketiah could never truly shoulder the responsibility of Leeds’ starting striker, so often was he bullied off of the ball and losing possession. He certainly had starter quality, just not for Leeds United’s system, which was no doubt the main contributor to his January departure.

The next hope for attacking reinforcements was Jean-Kevin Augustin. Leeds had loaned him in from RB Leipzig, the Frenchman fresh off an unproductive loan stint at Monaco. Whilst the months he spent in his home country were lacklustre, Augustin was a young, exciting striker whose quality was apparent through even the most minimalistic analysis.

Comfortable on the ball, Augustin was unafraid to take on a man and played with a certain confidence best evidenced by his time at Leipzig. Leeds fans, many of whom unconvinced by Bamford at the time, were excited for what he could do. An initial loan deal that would become a permanent signing in the 2020 summer window, the signing seemed perfect.

Of the six months he spent in Leeds, Augustin played 48 minutes of football in total and was absent from the side from February onwards. An unfortunate turn for the player due to injury and health problems, but a massive blow to a Leeds club that had seen their £18 million gamble fail miserably.

Escaping the deal on some sort of technicality (presumably), Leeds managed to avoid buying Augustin upon their promotion. Leipzig weren’t particularly happy, but United swiftly moved on from the debacle entirely. The gaping hole that was ‘backup striker’, however, still remained.

Upon the club-record signing of Rodrigo, many presumed that given his status as Spain’s number 9, he would usurp the position of Bamford for the 2020/21 season. Course, given Rodrigo’s midfield deployment and Bamford’s stellar form, this isn’t a particular consideration anymore, but does Rodrigo truly provide necessary backup?

?? RODRIGO SIGNS!

Leeds United have signed Spain international Rodrigo Moreno from Valencia for a club record transfer fee!

The 29-year-old joins on a four-year deal.

He scored 59 goals in 220 games for the La Liga side & 8 goals in 22 apps for Spain.#LUFC #bbcfootball pic.twitter.com/UrR7meb8iz

— BBC West Yorkshire Sport (@BBCWYS) August 29, 2020

Perhaps the best sample of Rodrigo at striker was in the January 3-0 defeat to Crawley Town in the FA Cup. Of course, the fielded team was not the strongest eleven, but even against a League Two side, Rodrigo barely had even half of the impact that Bamford does as striker.

No Leeds fan would take away credit from a Crawley side that deservedly won the tie, but the mind still ponders at the forsaken idea of a Bamford injury. It is almost as though Leeds have no true support for their talisman.

Tyler Roberts would perhaps get the nod over Rodrigo, but an extended period at striker may disrupt his learning of a new position or, conversely, see him lean towards his new position as opposed to playing as an out and out striker which would only negate the overall performance of the team.

It would seem unlikely that Bielsa would sign a backup striker to Bamford that shares his playstyle and likeness. Given Bamford’s health, the new striker would hardly get a game unless it was a cup competition or Bamford was facing a lengthy absence from the side. It is hard to determine where the Argentine looks for attacking backup.

Leeds have the young Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood rapidly rising through the ranks for the u23’s, but at their age, it would be unfair to burden them with such a responsibility.

Again, Bamford has been one of Leeds’ healthier players and so the hypothetical will likely, and hopefully, stay as just that. The striker issues outside of Bamford that Bielsa has faced, however, are quite storied. Roofe, Nketiah, and Augustin have all been tried and tested, yet none remain at the club.

 

As such, the striker position often falls to Roberts or Rodrigo in the uncommon absence of Patrick Bamford, yet they have never displayed the needed physicality for the role.

El Loco is almost certainly never going to change his methods. Rightly so, given the successes that they reap. It is perhaps somewhat concerning however for Leeds to balance their entire attack on a knife’s edge, weighted only by hope and faith in Bamford’s durability.

 

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