Premier League half-term report part 3 - Leeds United's attackers rated as Patrick Bamford adjusts, Rodrigo catches up and Pablo Hernandez struggles

Marcelo Bielsa's relentless attacking football has earned the Whites plaudits, after wins, and derision after defeats. But the 12th place they occupy in the table shows it's working just fine for the newly promoted club.

In part three of our half-term report, we look at how Bielsa's forwards have fared this season so far and reveal their average match rating.

Patrick Bamford - 6.8

What a start he made to life in the Premier League, scoring six goals and claiming an assist in his first six games. His form has had dips and he's only scored once in his last six but for a player who took so much criticism in the Championship, he can be very pleased with how he's managed the step up. In certain games he hasn't been able to free himself of the attentions of top defenders to have an impact and in others he's lacked the necessary service. Aston Villa, away, was his best 45-minute display in a Leeds shirt. Newcastle, away, was a night to forget. Ten goals in 19 games is an excellent return so far. Finishing the season with 15 would be a fine achievement.

Rodrigo - 6.6

The club's record signing has shown glimpses of what he's capable of, with some very good performances in the number 10 role. His mobility and movement have been excellent and he's clearly been brought in more so to help make chances than finish them. He took a little time to get up to speed, with some underwhelming displays early on, and then just when he was starting to show his ability contracted Covid-19. The time out of training appeared to leave him playing catch up, even until recently. Against Newcastle he linked up brilliantly with Raphinha, but it's fair to say Leeds fans still expect to see more from the £27m man.

Pablo Hernandez - 6.3

The man whose post-lockdown cameos took Leeds United to the Premier League has struggled since they got there. Injury, falling out of favour after a display of anger when substituted and finding himself behind Rodrigo in the pecking order have combined to restrict Hernandez to 262 of Leeds' 1,710 Premier League minutes. It wasn't supposed to be this way for a club hero, but the hope is that in the second half of the season he can make the impact everyone knows he's capable of and finish the campaign on a high. His finest moment thus far is an eight-minute cameo against Newcastle in which he grabbed two assists.

Tyler Roberts - 5.7

The important thing to note with Roberts is that he's still only 22, playing in a division that remained out of touch for so many of his team-mates until their late 20s and early 30s. The other thing to note is that Marcelo Bielsa rates him, believes he has an important role to play and continues to use him. He has come off the bench in difficult game situations that players of greater experience and ability would have struggled to turn around. All of that said, Roberts has found it hard to make an impact on numerous occasions. The theme, over what has been a half season of cameos, has been frustration so it's easy to see why some think a loan spell in the Championship would benefit. He needs match minutes to develop and they'll be hard to come by at Leeds as it stands.