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Publication Date: Friday, October 23, 2020 10:37 AM
Marcelo Bielsa praised Patrick Bamford for the “sacrifices” he makes for Leeds United after his hat-trick against Aston Villa.
Bamford has started the season in good shape in the Premier League, and has already scored his fourth, fifth and sixth goals of the season in Leeds’ 3-0 win at Villa.
It puts him on a par with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah in third place in the race for the golden boot; Only Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin have scored more in the top flight at this stage.
Given his previous struggles in the first division, few could have predicted how the 27-year-old started his campaign. But his talent shone as he was the one who made the difference when Leeds became the first team to beat Aston Villa in the league this season on Friday night.
Talking to Match of the day After the game, Leeds manager Bielsa praised his forward, insisting that Bamford deserves all the credit for his development, more than for himself.
“It was an important game for us and a deserved victory,” he said. “We scored first and we were a bit lucky that they didn’t score some of the chances they had.
“We were playing well even before the goal and we had played well enough to keep going.
“Very happy for Patrick because he scored some wonderful goals. Apart from that, a noble player who sacrifices a lot for the team, generous too.
“I think his development has more to do with him and less with me.”
Bielsa explains the replacement of Struijk
In a separate interview with BT sport, Bielsa elaborated on Bamford’s performance, highlighting his three goals as some of the best for the club.
“They were all very good goals,” he said. “Some of the most beautiful goals he has scored for us.”
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However, one player for whom the night was not so memorable was Pascal Struijk.
The defender took the place of the injured Kalvin Phillips in midfield, but received a warning early on. As he struggled to catch up with the pace of the game, Bielsa accepted his offer after just over 20 minutes.
Explaining the decision, Bielsa said: “He got a yellow card early and there was a lot of mobility in the middle of the park, so I wanted to get him out as a result.”
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