Leeds United and Patrick Bamford did not have it easy in the Premier League last season.
The Whites went through four managers and concluded with just 31 points from 38 games, with Bamford himself struggling with form and fitness.
Jesse Marsch managed Leeds for the duration of the season, and his style of play was heavily influenced by what the team did outside of possession. That was also evident in the players that joined over the summer.
Unfortunately, when he was fired in February, his limited style of play had an impact on others who succeeded him in the dugout, including Javi Gracia.
Gracia set Leeds up to contain their opponents, and one of his 11 Premier League matches was against Brighton & Hove Albion, when Leeds managed to secure a 2-2 draw.
Bamford was blown away with Brighton’s style
That game against Brighton was one in which Bamford started and scored, but it’s fair to say Leeds fans didn’t enjoy it.
Speaking on the most recent episode of the ‘My Mate’s a Footballer Podcast’, Bamford praised Robert de Zerbi for getting Brighton playing after facing them last season.
“The Brighton manager, de Zerbi, and how he gets them to play. When we played them at Elland Road last year, I spoke with a handful of their players afterward, and I was intrigued by how he got them to play the way they do now. It’s incredible.
De Zerbi is a manager who is a big admirer of former Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa, so seeing a team come to Elland Road and dominate way the Whites did was difficult.
However, it must be noted that de Zerbi has improved Brighton’s play since replacing Graham Potter, and with the players Leeds had, they were never going to be able to outplay them.
Given how the game turned out, it’s hardly surprising to hear Bamford wax poetic about how difficult they were to play.
