International break timely for Leeds United, says seven-goal Patrick Bamford

SOLID START - Patrick Bamford and Leeds United hit the ground running in the Premier League and while two defeats have taken the gloss off, the seven-goal striker still believes they've built a foundation with 10 points on the board.

The Whites lost their last two games before the break by 4-1 scorelines, against Leicester and Crystal Palace and while Mateusz Klich admitted he couldn’t wait to return from Poland national team duty to get Leeds back on track, Bamford takes another view.

He believes the pause in action was timely and will give them a chance to reflect instead of rushing headlong into another game, desperate to bounce back.

It will also give Marcelo Bielsa at least one more option to choose from. Record signing Rodrigo, self isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, is expected to return for the Arsenal game on November 22. And injury victims Kalvin Phillips and Diego Llorente will be two weeks closer to full fitness after shoulder and groin injuries respectively.

“I think maybe the international break has come at the right time for us because after two losses like that sometimes it is good to have a break rather than go straight into another game and chase that win,” said the striker, who grabbed his seventh goal of the campaign in the Selhurst Park defeat.

“I think maybe the break will help us.”

Leeds began the season impressively, troubling champions Liverpool with their trademark attacking football before succumbing to a 4-3 defeat, beating fellow new boys Fulham in another seven-goal thriller, winning 1-0 at Sheffield United and recovering from an early period of sustained pressure to hold title contenders Manchester City to a draw.

Although they suffered defeat to Wolves, the response, a 3-0 win at Aston Villa, was emphatic. Bamford got all three goals in that game, which lent further credibility to calls for him to be included in the England squad.

Things have gone awry for the Whites since, however. Leicester City did a number on them at Elland Road, playing perfect counter attacking football to earn a 4-1 win. The Palace game finished with the same scoreline, but Leeds were admittedly improved.

Those results took the shine off the newly-promoted side's start to top flight life, but the 10 points they accrued before hand have given Leeds a foundation from which to draw confidence.

“I think we had a really good start, which was surprising,” said Bamford.

“I don’t think many people expected it to be as good as it has been.”

“The last two games have obviously been disappointing but I think in general we can look back and think it’s a solid start. The last two games have probably ruined it from being an amazing start but it’s a solid start and it is something to build on.”