Jobi McAnuff praised Patrick Bamford for what he achieved before he ever took the field on Friday night, as Leeds United rallied from behind to defeat Leicester City at Elland Road.
Leeds sure know how to agitate their fans. For much of the first 80 minutes, Daniel Farke’s team was second best. Leeds had some excellent chances. However, they were fortunate to be only one goal down.
Georginio Rutter was one of many who had a very difficult evening. The Frenchman usually has an amazing ability to maintain the ball no matter how many difficulties he confronts. But this was not the case for much of Friday’s game.
Patrick Bamford commended following Leeds’ win
Patrick Bamford said he spoke with Georginio at halftime to attempt to lift his spirits. Jobi McAnuff, speaking on Sky Sports (broadcast on 23/2; 22:46), expressed his admiration for Bamford’s performance.
“I really loved that at half-time, Bamford said that they had that conversation because he did look at times as though he was trying too hard,” that’s what he said.
“He has been a top-tier player for them this season. It appeared that he was trying to carry the fight solo. And sometimes when you strive too hard, things don’t exactly work out. And I believe that Patrick, with that expertise, spoke to him and told him to go do what he did – because it’s all about Rutter there, scooping the ball up, driving, and just trying to break those lines because they were so firm at times. He definitely stepped up and contributed significantly to today’s comeback.”
Striker embraces leadership role.
Bamford has been quite impressive in recent months. Many of us were ready to write him off after last season, especially when he struggled to make an impact off the bench in the early stages of this season.
However, Bamford recently silenced his critics. He has scored several goals, including the final strike of the evening on Friday.
And it appears like he is adopting a leadership role off the pitch. Georginio’s second-half performance was superior to what we saw in the first half.
And Bamford certainly helped his teammate progress.
