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da bet esporte： Speaking on episode 69 of the Inside Elland Road Podcast, former Leeds defender Ben Parker has delivered his verdict on Patrick Bamford, suggesting that he is in some ways comparable to Kalvin Phillips.
What’s he said?
Leeds head into the international break off the back of a disappointing and controversial defeat against Millwall.
The Whites conceded a much-talked-about penalty when Gaetano Berardi saw red despite appearing to not touch Tom Bradshaw while Bamford was then spat at by a certain segment of fans after he was substituted.
He appears to be having a tough time of it in front of goal as well – the game at The Den marked his sixth match in a row without finding the net.
Eddie Nketiah failed to add to his tally when he came on but despite his competition in attack failing to deliver, Parker has been quick to rave over his performances. He told the Inside Elland Road Podcast:
“Ultimately strikers love scoring goals. I think if I were playing in that team I’d love Bamford playing up top because of the work ethic he puts in. How he’s holding the ball up now – he’s fighting centre-halves and bullying them out the way. He seems so strong, he’s like a beast – a Kalvin Phillips type of beast.”
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Interesting comparison
This must be one of the first times that an attacking player has been compared to a holding midfielder.
Of course, both of them differ substantially in terms of what they bring to Leeds but it’s hard to disagree that the pair of them aren’t two of the most hard-working in the current squad.
Bamford has had a rather torrid time in front of goal which has led to Leeds having one of the worst conversion rates in the league. They sit top for shots per game but are down in tenth for actual goals scored, via WhoScored.
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Much of the burden has been thrust on the shoulders of the 26-year-old but there are other aspects of his play that have impressed.
Last week Leeds fans hailed his work rate and that appears to be a key theme of the praise at the moment. Whether he can afford to keep failing to put the ball in the back of the net remains to be seen but there is certainly a renewed attitude there this term.
In 2018/19, he was given a ban for deceiving the officials and consequently dived on his return to the team. Nothing of that nature has cropped into his game this season though.
For the time being, Bamford seems focused on the task in hand. If he can start scoring he’ll be an almighty handful.