Patrick Bamford has Leeds United problem he hasn't faced many times since 2018 arrival: View | OneFootball

Patrick Bamford has competition as a line-leading centre-forward for the first time in his Leeds United career with Mateo Joseph.

Leeds United's Patrick Bamford has serious competition at the club for the first time in many seasons, with Mateo Joseph the closest analogue to the experienced number-nine during his time at the club.

It's Bamford's seventh season with the club, having signed for Leeds in the summer of 2018 from Middlesbrough, for an initial fee in the region of £7 million, which could rise to £10 million with add-ons. However, his time in West Yorkshire has been somewhat up and down, in part due to persistent injury issues that have stopped him from having an extended run in the team over the last few years,

That's been the case for most of last season as well, as he has had to settle with appearances from the bench during the first half of the campaign. That was due to the partnership of Georginio Rutter and Joel Piroe developing in his absence. He failed to register a single meaningful goal contribution in that spell, including missing a penalty against Stoke City at a particularly low point in the season for him personally.

After competing and playing well in the second half of the campaign, he ws struck down with injury at the worst time prior to the play-offs. A mini trauma in his patellar tendon at the back end of last season saw Patrick Bamford miss the play-offs and also training for much of the summer, as well as some of the pre-season games were disrupted by it.

Bamford is obviously a player who is helpful at alleviating pressure and getting Leeds up the pitch by making the ball stick in the final third. Given how crucial Bamford has become to Leeds, many fans may perhaps have thought to give him more of a chance this term before a hamstring issue took him out of action in the last few fixtures as well, which is much of the same for the 31-year-old.

He came off the bench during the first two games of the season and played a full 90 minutes up front against Middlesbrough in the 3-0 EFL Cup defeat, but has missed the last three league games after Bamford picked up a hamstring injury ahead of the clash with Sheffield Wednesday.

He was back in training recently but was still not named in the matchday squad for the game against Burnley over the weekend. Bamford has plenty of good attributes and qualities to lead the line, but lacks the required consistency in terms of both his finishing ability and his injury record, thus cannot be relied upon for a full season.

Bamford has often divided the opinion of Leeds supporters and pundits alike, and at the start of this new season, such circumstances haven't changed, primarily due to the sheer volume of injuries that have mounted up in recent years, disrupting his rhythm and momentum.

Patrick Bamford's competition during his time at Leeds

Part of Bamford's problem has been rushing back from issues, thus injury himself again or aggravating the same issue, as he aims to fight for his place in the side. But it is often at the detriment of the team when it leads to him being sidelined for longer.

Another issue is Leeds' lack of alternatives to Bamford during the last few years. They have had strikers but players like Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood were either not of the required quality or were the wrong profiles of forward. It ended up being the case that both of those players have developed into being attacking midfielders or secondary-strikers.

The last few years, Bamford has competed with Piroe and Rodrigo, but both of those players lack the line-leading ability Bamford brings to the table. They, too, are second-strikers more than they are centre-forwards in a single striker system, where they can often look isolated and frustrated up top as a lone number-nine.

Both of them are better finishers than Bamford consistently, but strikers are required to do much more than that. Bamford was Leeds' best option in the Premier League for that reason, but the persistent injury issues hampered both him and Leeds in their bid to survive.

Prior to that, Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin could not displace him during the promotion campaign under Marcelo Bielsa, due to the quality he possessed to pin the opposition with his physicality and pace at the time. That intensity was one of the main reasons that Bielsa had so much belief in Bamford for so long, despite dry spells in front of goal.

Not only that, but his box movement is also the best of any striker at the club, as he will run on the blindside of defenders unnoticed, or in behind or laterally, in order to drag the opposition around and make himself a nuisance and a player they must constantly track.

The player that perhaps has the majority of those abilities in recent seasons was perhaps Tyler Roberts, but he was utilised as more of a midfielder for the Argentine and was also injury-prone, meaning Bamford was still the only striker on Leeds' books with the all-round skill-set to operate in the way many strikers are asked to in the modern era, and particularly for a manager as demanding as Bielsa.

Mateo Joseph was well thought of during recent years in Leeds' U-21 side, as the 20-year-old has showcased his quality as an all-round striker in flashes, with impressive movement off the shoulder and the ability to battle well with his physical presence.

However, he has only started to make more of a name for himself since the turn of the year and now appears even more filled out than last term. Now, with the restructuring of Leeds' attack due to player departures this summer, it was perhaps thought that it could give the Spanish youth international a real run at being Leeds' number-nine. His array of different types of finish in pre-season against quality opposition only added to that idea.

Mateo Joseph helps ease the burden on Patrick Bamford

Joseph's emergence has since meant Bamford does not need to fear rushing back. The Spaniard has showcased his quality as an all-round striker. Piroe does not suit playing as a lone focal point up front, as he lacks the skill-set for holding the ball up and leading the line.

If Piroe's struggles continue and Bamford's fitness and form don't hold up, then Joseph has to take his chance. Not only has he done so thus far, but Joseph is the closest player to the 'prime-Bamford' since his arrival at the club, with many of the same qualities making the young striker the player that he is.

The 20-year-old can finish well, run the channels, link play, hold up the ball, and is strong in one-v-one situations as well. His maturity for a striker and supreme confidence only helps add fuel to the idea. Joseph is a well-rounded forward already, and he has all the attributes of a modern day number-nine to succeed.

He won't kick on further in his development without the senior minutes consistently, and he has already contributed to three goals this season. His ability to work the channels and play off the shoulder will see him get chances, especially on the break.

Even a fit Bamford would most likely be behind him in the centre-forward pecking order. Signing a new contract in January was a statement of intent from Leeds about his long-term impact, and this season is the time to step up and show it. Leeds have options in attack now, but Joseph is rightfully and quickly becoming their nailed-on starter as the centre-forward.

Many Leeds fans will be glad to see the burden eased on Bamford, and will be delighted at the way Joseph appears to be developing. It's the first time they have had a player with the profile needed to pin the opposition and also score the goals to fire them up, whilst Bamford should be able to teach and nurture the striker along the way.

Leeds have often been criticised for not purchasing a striker like Bamford, but Joseph is the closest thing they could have got, and they seem to have landed on their feet somewhat with him. He looks likely to remain Farke's striker of choice at the moment, and it will take something drastic to change that with Bamford unlikely to usurp him any time soon.