Stuart Pearce has claimed that ‘you can’t judge’ Leeds United’s Patrick Bamford on his England debut, as he told talkSPORT (05/09/21 at 6:25 pm)
The West Ham coach defended Bamford’s performance against Andorra yesterday, which ended in the home team securing a comfortable 4-0 win in their World Cup qualifier.
Bamford didn’t manage to get on the scoresheet and he endured a largely frustrating afternoon in front of goal.
When the likes of Mason Mount, Jack Grealish and Harry Kane came onto the field, the floodgates opened, but by that time, Bamford was off the pitch, so from his perspective, it was too late.
And whilst some opted to be critical of Bamford’s first outing in England colours, Leeds fans will love Pearce’s honest take on the player.
“He has played his part,” said Pearce. “His movement has been reasonably decent. He has tried to stretch the opposition.
“As I said in the first half, it’s a real tough game to judge a centre-forward in. Everyone thinks ‘oh, we are playing a lesser team, you have a chance to score’.
“You are up against three central defenders. It’s very difficult. And he probably is the one you can’t judge his performance on.”
Not only was Bamford surrounded by three or four Andorra shirts every time he got on the ball, but there wasn’t much service to him.
Not because of a lack of quality, but his teammates around him were a lot more selfish on the ball and, as a result, his attacking runs weren’t rewarded.
With Poland up next for England, it’s going to be a spot on the bench for Bamford, and if needed, he will be hoping to showcase his worth.
Given his performances for Leeds last season, Bamford will be hoping more England chances come his way, but there is some serious competition for those attacking places.
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