Some Leeds United fans have been reacting on social media, after Opta’s Senior Football Data Analyst revealed Patrick Bamford’s shot map for the Championship season so far.
Bamford is our leading scorer for the second-tier season with ten goals in 27 appearances, but has not found the back of the net since scoring the equalising effort in our 2-1 defeat at Fulham on December 21.
His four-game drought is the second-longest of his season so far, having gone ten matches without a strike to his name between finding the net against Stoke City on August 24 and against Blackburn Rovers on November 9.
But despite Bamford not reeling away in celebration for the eleventh time this term in recent weeks, the £10million 2018 signing from Middlesbrough constantly gets himself into the right areas to at least try his luck.
Bamford recorded five open-play shots during our 1-0 loss at Queens Park Rangers on Saturday, having hit four efforts in the 2-0 home defeat by Sheffield Wednesday and three in the 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion on New Year’s Day.
The 26-year-old’s shot map for the league campaign, revealed by Opta, shows that he requires one thing to score, though, and that is to be within the six-yard area.
Only two of his eight non-penalty goals for the term have come from outside of the six-yard area, despite Bamford only taking 15 of his 88 open-play shots from within the six-yard box.
Does Bamford scoring 2/8 goals in the penalty area concern you?
Yes
No
Sixty-two of Bamford’s overall efforts in the league have come from within the penalty area, plus his three spot-kicks, to eleven shots taken from outside the box.
Bamford failing to score more than twice from 62 shots inside the general penalty area is evidently a major flaw of his game, and Opta’s shooting map lays that flaw out bare for all to see.
Yet the quality of the Grantham-born striker’s efforts have been such that he ought to have scored more than eight goals from open play.
Opta data suggests that Bamford has an expected goals of 15.2 – enough for the 26-year-old to be third in the Championship’s leading ‘scorer chart once his two successful penalties are taken into account.
Here are some of the messages shared as fans reacted to Opta’s graphic highlighting Bamford’s shot-location and the quality of his efforts…
He’s as much use as a trapdoor on a canoe
— Lew🏠 (@Lew_house) January 20, 2020
If Bamford could score, we would have a 40 million pound striker on our hands.
— David (@MisterDaveSR) January 20, 2020
6 yard box or else it ain’t happening for patbamf
— P D (@PoD__13) January 20, 2020
11 shots per goal?! 11?!!
— Alex Farnell (@AlexFarnell09) January 20, 2020
Only 2 goals outside the 6 yard box 😬
— Owen Crote (@owencrote) January 20, 2020
Ridiculous isn’t it. Don’t agree with the expected goals stuff anymore after his failed lob was only rated as 0.03%!
— Liam Smith (@l_smith01) January 20, 2020
I think one thing you have to admire about Bamford is that, despite all the criticism and expectation and missed chances, he keeps putting himself forward.
— Ben (@Ben_Paul) January 20, 2020
He does and I love the way he compliments our play, but when he goes through runs like this (this is the second run he’s had like this in one season) it’s hard to defend him as he simply has no conviction in his finishing. That said, it would help if others chipped in more.
— Josh Hobbs (@JoshAHobbs) January 20, 2020
In other Leeds United news, a £10.8m-rated striker is likely to stay away from Elland Road this month.