Jamie Carragher lauded Marcelo Bielsa on Sky Sports (26/10/20 at 10:40 pm) for how he has stuck by Patrick Bamford and thinks it’s similar to how Roberto Firmino is treated at Liverpool.
The TV pundit pointed out that Bielsa looks for ‘more than just the goals’ from Leeds’ thriving and previously criticised star, and just like Firmino on Merseyside, there’s ‘never a thought’ from his manager to drop him.
It’s the manner in which they connect play, find pockets in the final third, the understanding they share with those around, which make them more than just a number nine in today’s game.
But sometimes, fans don’t see beyond the goals and players like Bamford have received their fair share of criticism over the years and Carragher loves how he is responding.
“The thing about Bamford is when Leeds came up to the Premier League, we all envisaged that Leeds will spend big money to replace him,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“At times, he was getting criticism from his own supporters for missing chances last season in the Championship. They bought Rodrigo in from Valencia and you think ‘he’s going to go upfront’.
“But Bamford’s one of those players, I don’t think he’s the exact type of player, but Firmino, before he had scored at the weekend, he had gone 25, 26 games with one goal. But there’s never a thought about Klopp dropping him.
“I think Bamford’s the same with Leeds and Bielsa. He looks for more than just the goals from him. It’s what he brings to the team. Energy. The pressing and his understanding of the system. Whatever it may be, he always plays. I wouldn’t say his goals are a bonus, he is a striker.
“But I also think that’s well done to Bielsa because he has always stuck by him from when he has had criticism from supporters or whether he was good enough for the Premier League.”
It will be interesting to see if Bamford’s bright start to the campaign will result in him making a trip to St. George’s Park next month.
Gareth Southgate is due to name his squad for the forthcoming internationals in a few weeks time and Bamford won’t be far off the main list.
His only problem is that Danny Ings, Harry Kane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are bang in form and ahead of him in the pecking order, so if he doesn’t get picked then he should just appreciate the serious amount of quality ahead of him.
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