Six consecutive starts for Patrick Bamford were just what the Leeds United striker needed on his long road back from his latest injury. And though that sequence may have only been interrupted for a fortnight, he faces a tall order finding the same consistency in minutes again.
Tentative steps were taken through three substitute appearances under Jesse Marsch, including that goal at Villa Park, before a first start since October 20 when Leeds visited Accrington Stanley. By the end of that match, Bamford would once again be the only fit, senior, natural centre forward at the club.
Rodrigo was thrown into a game away to League One opposition, with the team 3-0 up for the sake of eight minutes alongside Bamford as a strike partnership. The Spain international would end the game requiring ankle surgery.
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Rusty as he may have been, Bamford’s return to fitness and the starting line-up could not have been better timed. The Whites would at least have a focal point of some kind, even if he wasn’t firing on all cylinders.
The 29-year-old hasn’t scored since the 5-2 rout of Cardiff City at Elland Road, but he played his part in the valiant Manchester United displays as well as the hard-fought 1-0 win over Southampton. It hasn’t been vintage Bamford, but experience tells us it was a whole lot better than it would have been if he was out at the same time as Rodrigo.
Javi Gracia had known he would be without Bamford for the Chelsea trip from Thursday, but the striker is hopeful of being fit for this weekend’s Brighton & Hove Albion visit. It may well synchronise with Rodrigo’s medical situation again, but for all the right reasons this time.
It remains to be seen how this week pans out, but Rodrigo was understood to be hopeful of returning to contention for Brighton’s arrival. Common sense would then suggest Rodrigo is no more than a bench option after six weeks out, clearing the way for Bamford to start if he has shaken off his knock.
However, when Rodrigo does get up to speed he’s going to be hard to ignore if he hits his pre-injury heights. Twelve goals in 22 appearances cannot be ignored by a team fighting against relegation with five blanks from their last seven matches.
Bamford has a small window of opportunity between now and Rodrigo’s return to full match sharpness to stake his claim for regular starts. If Gracia persists with a 4-2-3-1 there looks like only one choice for the head coach, fitness aside.
However, there is the glimmer of a 4-2-2-2 possibility from Gracia. It was a formation he used with such great success at Watford, that may be Bamford’s route to consistent game time.
Can Bamford and Rodrigo channel the Gerard Deulofeu-Troy Deeney partnership Gracia so enjoyed using at Vicarage Road? The concept of the Leeds strikers as a pair has lingered ever since Rodrigo arrived.
Marcelo Bielsa played a 4-1-4-1, but when injury didn’t get in the way there were some promising signs of a link-up, memorably at Villa Park on the night Bamford scored a hat-trick. Then Marsch never seemed to get the chance to pair them because of the England man’s persistent problems.
The irony is his last attempt to pair them resulted in Rodrigo’s surgery. Gracia will hope for a more positive outcome if and when he rolls the dice on this partnership.
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