Last weekend, Norwich City announced the signing of Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford on loan until the end of the season.
Bamford was on loan at Crystal Palace earlier in the season but his game time was limited with Alan Pardew preferring Connor Wickham upfront. This meant his loan spell ended and he joined Norwich with the hope of regular first-team football.
He burst onto the season last season with Championship side Middlesbrough. He was on loan to Middlesbrough from Chelsea and scored 17 league goals for them as he won Championship player of the year.
The striker played against Norwich in the play-off final last season as the Canaries beat Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley to seal their place in the Premier League. I am sure Bamford wasn’t quite expecting to end up at the club who virtually ruined his season. So, when it came to actually joining Norwich, he was probably a little bit miffed as to how it all transpired over the last year of his career.
The 22-year-old wasn’t deemed ready for City’s clash with Tottenham on Tuesday, as Norwich lost 3-0, but Alex Neil has confirmed he is in the squad for this weekend.
Norwich travel away to face Aston Villa in the Premier League and it could be the perfect time for Bamford to make his debut. Villa are, statistically speaking, the worst side in the league. So, is there a better game for Bamford to make his debut? I don’t think so.
Dieumerci Mbokani has been leading the line over the last month or so for Norwich and has not being doing a bad job by any stretch of the imagination. Yet, the lack of goals coming from the forward is a worry. His back-heel goal against Liverpool has been his only goal of 2016 so far and a rest may suit him. He has been tirelessly working hard throughout all of Norwich’s games of late and a rest could help him massively.
If Alex Neil were to rest Mbokani, Bamford would surely start. Cameron Jerome has proven time and again this season that he isn’t up to the standard of the league. Bamford is young and eager to impress and is a far more viable option for the match than Jerome. Bamford is also a clinical finisher, something Jerome certainly is not.
However, even if Neil doesn’t want to just rest Mbokani he could still play Bamford ahead of him to change Norwich’s style of play. With five defeats in five matches for Norwich, Neil may want to alter the way his team sets out their game.
With Mbokani leading the line there is always that inclination to want to just hoof the ball up in the air for him to win a header, which he more often than not does. Yet, it achieves precious little. It ends up with Mbokani heading it down to a Norwich player and then having to start from the back again. This becomes a rinse and repeat cycle of Norwich’s attacking play.
But, if Bamford were to play then it would be a different kettle of fish. Instead of the long, searching, balls to Mbokani, Norwich would be able to play to feet and in behind the defence.
It is well documented how many goals Aston Villa have been shipping in this season, although Norwich haven’t been much better, and playing in behind the defence would be the best option. Bamford would be able to stretch the Villa defence and create space for the likes of Wes Hoolahan, Nathan Redmond and Steven Naismith to work their magic.
Bamford will be keen to impress and work hard for the Norwich cause and this could just elevate his game to an even higher level against Villa. It would be the perfect game for him to make his first start in my opinion.
The England under-21 international’s clever movement can get him in good positions and potentially create chances for himself and other against a fragile Villa backline. It would also be interesting to see the sort of link-up play between himself and Hoolahan/Naismith.
Of course he would also already know Nathan Redmond from playing with England’s Under-21 side and we could see a spark between those two, who are both exciting players for the future of English football.
Whether or not he starts is down to Alex Neil, but I really hope that he does. What do you think?
