Chelsea FC’s Patrick Bamford Struggles In Crystal Palace Start
After suffering through a tough night in his first start for Crystal Palace, Chelsea FC loanee Patrick Bamford faces a long road to the first team. Bamford was handed his first start for the Eagles against a plucky Shrewsbury Town side and it was rough sledding for the youngster.
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He was paired up front with the speedy Dwight Gayle giving Palace two players with similar styles of play at striker. Both players prefer to run in behind defenses and have balls played over the top to them or receive through passes that cut through the defense. Ideally teams prefer to deploy a target man up top with a speedier striker in behind him to play off the target man.
Bamford, the much taller of the two strikers, was deployed in an unfamiliar deep role and looked a bit in over his head. He played hard and the effort was there but it was unfamiliar territory for the youngster. At Middlesbrough if he was not played up top then he was played out on the wings where he had more freedom and less responsibility. Of course it was also easier to get in to the lineup of the Championship side than it is in a Premier League side.
Palace boss Alan Pardew spoke to Sky Sports about the Chelsea FC loanee’s tough night but praised him at the same time. He said:
"“I don’t think he had his best night, Patrick, but he’s a good player. He’s finding that the level is a little bit higher here than it was at Middlesbrough and when you’re not playing week in week out as he was at Middlesbrough it’s hard. I felt a little bit sorry for him tonight because he wasn’t at his best, but he’s a good player.”"
Even if he did not play to his best against Shrewsbury as long as he has the backing of his manager then he will be just fine. It is still early on in the season and the Eagles managed to blow past the League Two side in extra time. Bamford was not a part of that as he was brought off in the 75th minute but that means he will have at least one more opportunity to impress as they will face Championship side Charlton in the next round of the League Cup.
The last time he faced Charlton in the Championship, Bamford scored the opener in a 3-1 win for Boro so he will be hoping for another crack at the Red Robins. The youngster has all the right characteristics, body type, and attitude to succeed at the top flight but he will need to be given a chance to display them. Crystal Palace surprised the league with their 10th place finish and if they can replicate that finish or avoid relegation trouble in general then Alan Pardew will have no problem giving the youngster a chance.
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