Patrick Bamford sums up the great and the not-so-good of Marcelo Bielsa at Leeds.
On the one hand, Bielsa transformed Bamford from a Championship player into not just a proven top-flight striker, but an England international.
But on the other, he is partly to blame for the fact that Bamford has managed just 22 minutes of action since September 17.
Bamford initially injured his ankle against Newcastle on September 17 and then damaged his hamstring, sliding to celebrate his stoppage-time equaliser against Brentford in his comeback game on December 5.
That put him back again and his rehabilitation was further hampered by Bielsa’s intense physical demands.
Will Leeds avoid relegation this season? Have your say in the comments below.
He was adamant that no player could return to the first team until they proved their fitness on the training ground, including in the the ultimate trial-by-ordeal, murderball.
This proved too much for Bamford and he broke down twice more when he was on the verge of returning.
First he damaged his quadriceps and then he tore the plantar muscle in his foot.
Bamford would clearly have benefited from a more gentle approach and most managers build up a player’s match fitness when they return from injury by gradually giving them more and more game time.
But Bielsa refused to compromise his beliefs and Bamford and Leeds paid the price.
Bamford’s loss has been huge for Leeds this season, arguably bigger even than Kalvin Phillips’s absence.
Leeds have been lost up front without him spearheading their attacks and no-one has been able to plug the gap he left.
While much of the analysis behind Leeds’ decline this season has rightly focused on their awful defending, they have also been lacking up front.
They have managed just 29 goals in their 27 league games, compared to 43 at the same stage last season.
That underlines how important Bamford’s goals are to them and his 16 goals propelled them to promotion in 2020 and his 17 strikes last season helped them to finish ninth.
Jesse Marsch’s No 1 priority will be to keep Bamford fit now that he is available again and he refused to bring him on against Leicester, even at 1-0 down, because he felt it was too much of a risk.
Marsch will start him on the bench against Aston Villa on Thursday and is being ultra cautious because he does not want him to break down again.
“Patrick will play for sure,” said the Leeds boss. “He won’t start, but he will be ready from the bench and we’re excited to have him back in the team, it’s a real boost.
“The effect he will have on the group will be relatively massive and I think we need to make sure we handle his return in a way that only gets him stronger and stronger and better and better.
“What was interesting was when we were contemplating his return to play, the physical team told me what his loading has been like over the last six to eight months and with the different kinds of injuries he’s had, he hasn’t trained hard often and certainly hasn’t played much.
“That’s why I was hesitant against Leicester. I just felt like we had more to gain than lose in that moment, knowing how important Patrick is.”
