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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Leeds have had a flying start to the season and currently sit top of the Championship after the opening four games.
The Whites have begun with three wins and a draw, snatching a win against Brentford on Wednesday evening courtesy of a debut home goal for Eddie Nketiah.
His fellow striker Patrick Bamford only mustered two attempts but it was a recurring trait that came back to haunt him against the Bees.
On the chalkboard
Just how Marcelo Bielsa chooses to play Bamford and Nketiah this term will be interesting.
The former struggled to get involved, having just 28 touches of the ball, the fewest number of any Leeds man in midweek.
The striker has got off to a flyer in terms of goals, netting three in four games, even if he did miss six shots against Nottingham Forest on the second weekend.
Bamford has a tendency to miss chances on the evidence seen against Forest but it’s another trait that’s causing him difficulties and served as a particular cause for concern against Brentford.
Considering he had so few touches, the fact he was dispossessed five times on Wednesday is incredibly alarming.
To add to that, the 25-year-old was unsuccessful with three touches in total as he endured a completely ineffective evening at Elland Road.
But this isn’t the first time he’s had a torrid time in this department.
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He was dispossessed three times during Leeds’ opening match with Bristol City which carried across from the previous campaign.
Throughout 2018/19, Bamford was unsuccessful with 4.3 of his touches every 90 minutes whilst he lost the ball to a member of the opposition 1.7 times on average across the same metric, per WhoScored.
Bringing someone closer to him like Nketiah could prove fruitful, therefore, as he may find himself holding onto the ball less. However, if he doesn’t improve this aspect he could still be found wanting at times this season.
As seen, that was the case earlier this week.
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