Leeds United man allowed to fly under the radar thanks to £45m solution to historic problem - YEP 29/9/23
Leeds United boss Daniel Farke feigned disappointment on Thursday when none of the assembled local media brought up his first touch in the win over Watford.
By Graham Smyth
The German's stone-dead trapping of a high ball received an
Elland Road ovation and unsurprisingly went viral over the weekend. He was
asked about it following the game and joked that if his players had his quality
on the ball everything would be a lot easier.
By the time the pre-Southampton press conference rolled
around five days later that moment wasn't particularly on the radar of the
quartet of journalists who gathered at Thorp Arch to speak to Farke. Had the
national newspapers sent someone along then it might well have been brought up
again, being the kind of light hearted topic that can elicit some nice colour
to go alongside the more mechanical updates of team news, injuries and the
upcoming match.
But Farke's 'match day minus two' press conferences are not
drawing the nationals to Wetherby right now. That's perhaps as good a measure
as any of how calm and sensible life is at Leeds United. Where there's drama
there will be scribes, in number. Last season the area of Thorp Arch that
couples as a team meeting room and a media suite was most full around the time
of managerial changes but even in the most settled moments of an unsettling
campaign, the local media pack was supplemented by at least a couple of writers
or broadcasters from national outlets.
As with any Premier League club the international broadcast
requirements were an additional duty for managers and players alike, adding to
the traditional necessity of a press conference. There was also, of course, a
keen American interest in all things Leeds due to the presence of Jesse Marsch,
Tyler Adams, Brenden Aaronson, Weston McKennie and the briefly-seen and swiftly
dispatched Chris Armas. It will come as a surprise to precisely no one that the
level of Stateside interest has since dwindled, considerably, as the American
presence in the changing room has gradually vanished.
There may come a time this season, perhaps when the business
end of the season approaches with its potential and seismic consequences, when
Leeds pop back up on the radar of the nation's media or outlets across the
pond, but right now the Whites are coasting along largely undetected - or as
much as a club of this size and stature can - because everything is largely
fine. Clean sheets, wins, no drama. It's not like Leeds, but no news is
generally good news in football.
And into the heady mix of goals, victories and what Farke
calls 'impressive' performances, steps a man who spent the longest time as the
biggest dot on the radar when it came to centre forwards at Elland Road.
Patrick Bamford, for what felt like an eternity, was not
only the main man up front for Leeds but all-too-often the only man in the
conversation. Rodrigo sparked to life last season to score the most goals
before an ankle injury derailed him and left him incapable of playing 90
minutes up top until the final two games. Even though Georginio Rutter came
along as a £35m January signing, the Frenchman played significantly fewer
minutes than the number 9 who was already in situ. Rutter was, according to Sam
Allardyce, one for the 2023/24 season.
And yet as Bamford finally re-enters Farke's selection
process ahead of a trip to Southampton, the roles have been reversed and the
landscape has changed dramatically.
What Leeds needed to do in the summer was add another
serious goalscoring option to their ranks so that Bamford was not so heavily
relied upon, particularly in light of the fitness issues that plagued him for
the past two seasons. They only went and did it, too, bringing in a proven
Championship marksman in Joel Piroe. Four goals in his last five games, playing
as a number 10 behind Rutter, have already cemented the Dutchman as the main
man as far as hitting the net is concerned, while his strike partner is holding
the ball up and using it admirably to link attacks. In essence, two men are
doing what was once asked of one. What’s more, where Leeds systems would once
falter without Bamford as a focal point, Farke’s Leeds are working just fine
with others in place.
The manager, though, believes the once-capped England
striker has something that is of worth to bring to an attack that has already
begun to click in his absence.
"First of all we are not just here to help Patrick,
it's more like the other way around, Patrick is here to help us," said the
German.
"Patrick is a quality player, he's experienced and it's
always a good feeling as a player when you head into games and you look left
and see Bamford next to you. He didn't win the cap for England in the lottery,
he's a quality player. Hot got this club promoted and then he's had a difficult
spell due to injuries.
"I was pretty impressed with him in pre-season, scored
goals, he was sharp in his movement and sadly this injury happened. We are
right now all happy he is back in team training."
What Leeds will get, if Bamford comes into the game on
Saturday to play any minutes at all, is not the best version of the
30-year-old. That will take time to re-emerge. He's a very good option for
Farke, though, another very good option, a luxury even for a second tier side
given what he did last time round in the Championship.
"He will need a while to be back to his best but he has
quality to score, to link the play and a top class team-mate," said Farke.
"It's good to have him back and he will be absolutely
beneficial to us as a group. He will play an important part. He's confident and
experienced enough, he doesn't need our help. He's a proven goalscorer on this
level, especially on this level. We're happy to have him."