“Terrible” - Pundit delivers brutally honest assessment of Leeds United player | OneFootball

Frank McAvennie has criticised Patrick Bamford as the Leeds United striker continues to struggle for Daniel Farke in the Championship.

Patrick Bamford’s Leeds United struggles

The 30-year-old joined the Whites in the summer of 2018, and it’s fair to say that he’s had many highs and lows at Elland Road over the last six years.

Bamford endured a difficult start to life in Yorkshire, but he became a key player under Marcelo Bielsa as Leeds won promotion and then secured a top-half finish in the Premier League, with his form also earning the forward an England cap in 2021.

However, the past 18 months or so have been much more difficult, and Bamford has found the past few months pretty tough, as he is without a goal in six games, and he has managed just seven in the campaign.

Frank McAvennie demands more from Patrick Bamford

His poor recent showings saw Farke drop Bamford for the game against Blackburn last time out, with Leeds’ stuttering form continuing as they were beaten by Rovers, a result which leaves them third in the table with three games to go.

Naturally, the fans are getting frustrated, and pundit McAvennie echoed those concerns, as he told Football Insider that Bamford should be doing much more right now.

“I didn’t see that defeat coming. I thought Leeds would kick on. Bamford looked awful. I watched him and he was just strolling about – he looked terrible. I don’t like seeing strikers strolling about like that.

“He missed a few big chances in the game and I was thinking that if his mind was on the game, he wouldn’t have missed them. He’s got to get his act together because he’s the focal point for Leeds at the moment. There’s a lot of good players and they’re creating chances for him.

“Bamford needs to start leading the line and start holding up the ball. He was losing the ball a lot and not fighting hard enough to win it back – that was the biggest problem.”

Patrick Bamford can still have a big role to play

As mentioned, this low point is nothing new for Bamford, and, to his credit, he has bounced back before, so there won’t be major doubts about his mentality.

Joel Piroe hasn’t always convinced as the main number nine for Leeds, and whilst Mateo Joseph looks like an outstanding talent, the reality is that he’s still very young, so there can’t be too much pressure on him.

Therefore, Bamford is going to have a role to play during the run-in, and if he can score the goal that wins promotion, his poor recent run will be totally forgotten about.

McAvennie’s criticism here is harsh, but there’s no doubt that Bamford should be doing more, and even if you aren’t scoring, you can contribute with all-round play, which is something he has been capable of in the past.

Ultimately, it’s now on the player, and Leeds will need Bamford to come good if they are to secure a top two finish this season.