Kemar Roofe, Eddie Nketiah, Jean-Kevin Augustin and Rodrigo. The debate about pairing Patrick Bamford with another striker in a front two at Leeds United has raged since he arrived.
For all of their dominance in possession and territory, Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds had their fair share of problems breaking down deep-lying, negative, time-wasting opposition. Despite two Championship campaigns which yielded third and first-place finishes, there were barren spells for Bamford in attack.
Bielsa clung so obsessively to his 4-1-4-1 formation it became an easy stick to beat him with when poor runs of form did strike. The obvious question, especially among the traditionalists, centred on why the Argentine would not look to exploit the team’s dominance by putting another striker in the mix.
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It’s become a quieter debate since promotion, largely because of Bamford’s immense form through 2020/21 and his subsequent injury nightmare denying him the chance to play on his own, let alone with a strike partner. It’s been put back on the menu in recent weeks.
Georginio Rutter’s January arrival, along with the return to fitness of other attackers in the squad, saw Jesse Marsch’s forward options swell. The variations were endless and the American could not stop himself from experimenting with Rodrigo and Bamford as a pair at Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup.
We all know how that ended, but Rutter’s promising performance on Tuesday night has put his case forward to be Bamford’s partner. Javi Gracia did anything but duck the question in Thursday’s press conference.
“It’s an option,” he said. “Some of you asked me about it after the game. It’s an option, a real option, to play with two players up front.
“In this case, in the last game, I’m happy with the way Georginio played. What I’m not so happy about is the goal [which was] disallowed.
“It was really, really soft and after watching [it back], really soft. That circumstance can change the game and during the game, it was the same in the second half.
“Before they scored we had one clear chance with Weston giving a good pass for Summerville. We were really close and that’s why I’m really disappointed because we wasted a good chance to get a better result.
“Now, speaking about the next game, it’s a good option to play two players up front, with Georgi, with Patrick, with Rodrigo, with [Brenden] Aaronson, with all the attackers we have in the club.”
Bamford has not looked especially threatening to the opposition goal since his return to the league fold at Nottingham Forest. The system, of course, does not always get the best out of him, but it’s understandably going to take some time to find anything like the rhythm of 20/21.
Perhaps another forward in and around him could work, limiting the isolation we can sometimes see from the number nine. Gracia has history with a front two too.
Throughout his 2018/19 season at Watford, a 4-2-2-2 was used more than any other system by the Spaniard. Predominantly, Troy Deeney and Gerard Deulofeu, with assistance from Andre Gray, would play as Gracia’s double act up top.
They would finish that league season with 26 goals and 12 assists between the three of them en route to an 11th-place finish. The two behind them, generally Will Hughes and Roberto Pereyra, were not wingers either.
Starting Rutter and Bamford in attack would not change much for the likes of Wilfried Gnonto, Crysencio Summerville and Jack Harrison though, says Gracia.
“It doesn’t change too much,” he said. “They have to do the defensive work the same way, they have to do something else defending, but not too much.
“We don’t want to deny our offensive mentality. They have to be important in attack, in one v one, in different situations in our attacks, we don’t want to limit them playing with two strikers.”
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