Following Rodrigo’s costly mistake that led to the winning goal at the weekend, Jesse Marsch has given his opinion on the Spaniard’s recent performances.
Speaking in a press conference, Marsch said:
“We knew the workload for that position in the match was going to be heavy and so the idea was we were going to trade Rodrigo and Patrick no matter what, we just decided to do it at half-time.”
Patrick Bamford’s overall play was good, carving open a vulnerable Arsenal defence in the second half, but failing to capitalise on mistakes from the likes of William Saliba. His lack of quality in front of goal does, however, make it a tough decision for Jesse Marsch.
Patrick Bamford looks dejected after the match / Action Images via Reuters/Molly Darlington
“Obviously, Rodrigo makes the choice to play this big switch that is not normally what we’d like to do and it leads to a moment that costs him and the team, but, in general, Rodri’s had a good run of form with us and we need him.
“We need him to get hot, we need Patrick to get hot. We need guys to score goals. So, obviously, I’m disappointed for Rodri but in the end, he’s an important guy.”
Despite his red-hot start to the season, Rodrigo has failed to score since the first three games of the season, while Bamford hasn’t scored in any senior game since May last year, leaving a significant conundrum for the American.