Leeds United have seen their form since the international break stutter as they continue to push for promotion.
The Whites had been absolutely relentless for three months from the turn of the New Year until mid-March, and the break has just grinded their momentum to a halt.
Daniel Farke’s side have picked up just five points from a possible 12 available having followed up their first defeat of 2024 at Coventry City with a disappointing 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Tuesday.
Thankfully those around Leeds have also seen their drop off, but a number of players in Farke’s squad are simply not playing at the levels they were just a few weeks ago.
Leeds’ attacking quartet has come under particular scrutiny, with Farke having continued to go with the same four despite having plenty of options on the bench at his disposal.
Prutton says Bamford is actually being unfairly criticised at Leeds right now
Willy Gnonto has arguably the strongest case to be brought back into that Leeds attack but there are certainly others alongside him who could stake a claim, too.
Both Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe have made some decent impacts off the bench in recent weeks, and surely have a case to be brought in from the start.
Calls have been growing in particular for Joseph to be handed his first ever league start for Leeds, with Patrick Bamford’s form having fallen off a cliff.
Bamford made an exceptional impact after coming into the team in early January but has looked bereft of confidence as of late, and when that is the case, he offers very little.
However, in his latest column for the Yorkshire Evening Post, David Prutton has actually labelled some of the stick he gets as unfair, claiming he is an easy target.
He wrote: “Patrick getting criticised is such an easy one and he will always be an easy one but he’s always the first one to step up and talk about the game. He’s always the first to front up and take responsibility for his performances and the team.
“But because of the demeanour of the fella, I think people just think it’s an easy one to be able to kind of steam it and say what the situation is with regards to him. It’s easy to go after him at the minute which is rubbish really. But that’s just how things go and that happens to a player at times.
“I’m sure Patrick is tough enough to take it on the chin but he will also know that he needs to be scoring goals just as the team as a whole needs to be scoring goals. Therein lies that responsibility.”
What Farke has said on Bamford amid growing calls to be dropped
Farke has been asked on a number of occasions about the prospect of dropping £7m man Bamford, but each time he has quickly leapt to his defence.
The Leeds manager has clearly been hearing the calls for Joseph to come in and start, but he has been firm in his decision to continue with Bamford as his number nine.
Similarly to Prutton, Farke believes Bamford is unfairly criticised by many due to his style of play, and told Leeds supporters not to ‘underestimate’ what he is doing for his team.
“Do not underestimate what he is giving to the team. Patrick is a special player. We don’t need to change it. I learnt this. I wanted to see more in training. I had to learn it’s more like Patrick’s natural appearance.
“Tall guy, with his movement, naturally self-confident. Elegant, top class. He covered more distance than any offensive player on Saturday. Could be more focused, don’t underestimate what he is doing for us.”