Lots of Leeds United fans have been reacting on social media to a statistical breakdown produced by LUFC Data, comparing the efforts of Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah so far this season.
Fans have been calling for Nketiah to start against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, after the Arsenal loanee came off the bench to equalise at Preston North End on Tuesday night.
The England U21 international replaced Bamford in the 77th-minute at Deepdale, as head coach Marcelo Bielsa sought to replace the Whites’ starting striker as he failed to turn home any of his six shots on goal and went an eighth league game without scoring (WhoScored).
Bamford had found the back of the net four times across all competitions in August, but his last successful effort came in United’s 3-0 win away to Stoke City. The 26-year-old is also now on a goals per ninety minutes rate of 0.36 and a minute per goal average of 247, with 14 of his total 48 shots failing to find the target.
Nketiah, meanwhile, has played just 388 minutes across all competitions compared to Bamford’s 987, but has scored five times, directed eight of his 18 shots on target, and is on a minute per goal average of 78 and a goals per 90 rate of 1.2.
Scoring five times from 18 shots has given Nketiah a conversion rate of 28%, as well, although the 20-year-old has also missed five big chances compared to Bamford’s ten to hand the London-born striker a worse big chances missed per ninety rate than former Middlesbrough forward Bamford.
Irrespective, Leeds fans are hoping that Bielsa hands Nketiah his first start in the Championship against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, as he would be a ‘different beast’ with the chances United create in the first-half of games.
Here are some of the messages shared…
An 8% coversion rate? Holy hell, That is shocking for a striker in any league, let alone the Champ.
— Richard (@rshepherd45) October 23, 2019
Leading goal scorer and he’s played a fraction of what Bamford has! HE HAS TO START MAN! ?
— Joe wainman?? (@WainmanJoe) October 23, 2019
Again beautiful work with these stats .Eddie clearly needs to start . Would first love to try Bamford up top with Eddie playing off him . Marcelo would too. But until Coops returns counter attack risk like at Preston is too great . Thoughts ?
— ViduKewell (@ViduKewell) October 23, 2019
Not a football expert by any means – my question is – wouldn’t it make sense to put the scorer on early (Eddie) and then being the work rate guy (Patrick) in to close the game out?
— William Henry (@REPUBLIC473) October 23, 2019
And to think Nketiah played and scored when his teammates were all tired and not really creating many chances towards end of the game.
Nketiah starting with this group from the first minute would be a different beast. Our xG in first 45 minutes is pretty high
— SA (@Aravind_SA) October 23, 2019
While many Leeds fans want Nketiah in the starting line-up at Hillsborough this weekend, some United supporters have suggested the sample size of his data recorded thus far is too small to draw a true comparison with Bamford.
A few have particularly noted that the ex-Boro man also brings others into the game through his hold-up play, and are unsure whether Nketiah is ready to lead the line in the same manner.
If Bamford was scoring more often, one also feels his more frequent missed chances would not be remembered as prominently, given Nketiah is seemingly forgiven for the volume of big chances he has spurned.
Clearly the comparison speaks strongly in favour of what Nketiath has achieved so far, but a notable exception is he’s actually missed more big chances per 90 min than Bamford has. Funny how quickly those are forgotten when he also bangs them in on a regular basis!
— Anders Lagerfjärd (@jalager) October 23, 2019
What about chance creation? Bringing others in to the game? I can not argue Ntekiah’s a bigger threat in front of goal but I’m I don’t know whether Nketiah is ready to lead the line. I suppose there is only one way to find out
— Mark Hartley (@markinge) October 23, 2019
The sample size is way to small esp for the player you’re championing with this post
Messi conversion rate is 20%
Im mot saying nketiah isn’t better than bamford but all strikers are different and all he through barren spells
— Glen Preston (@Blade00131) October 23, 2019
The issue with Bamford not scoring may not just be down to the 26-year-old, though, as some Leeds fans have proposed that other players need to step up their games far more than what they have shown thus far.
Only eight players have scored for the Whites in the Championship so far this season (WhoScored), while Stuart Dallas, Mateusz Klich, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Harrison have also only found the back of the net on one occasion in the opening 13 games.
Another fan has suggested that creating key chances has been at a premium since Pablo Hernandez sustained his calf injury and subsequent hamstring issue (Yorkshire Evening Post).
The Spaniard leads United’s key passes per ninety minutes chart at present with an average of 2.4, while Klich tops the overall chart with 32.
Add to this that our next top scorer has 2 goals, tells you we need as many goalscorers on the pitch as poss. This isnt all on Eddie and Pat though, many others need to step-up!!!
— MMLUFC (@Michael46041497) October 23, 2019
One issue that stands out is the lack of clear cut chances overall, we are missing Pablo but we also need others to deliver attacking creativity to make good chances
— Paul Shackleton ?? (@pollyannacowboy) October 23, 2019