Bamford thinks Norwich play ‘total football’

On-loan Chelsea striker Patrick Bamford is confident he can fit right into Norwich’s own brand of “total football” and score the goals to help keep the Canaries in the Barclays Premier League.

The 22-year-old agreed a switch from Stamford Bridge to Carrow Road for the rest of the campaign just ahead of the transfer deadline.

Bamford spent the opening part of the season with Crystal Palace, but left Selhurst Park at the end of 2015 having not scored in his nine appearances.

The England under-21 forward labelled that spell “terrible”, a comment he later retracted with an apology.

Bamford, though, is determined to make an instant impact for a Norwich team which have lost four straight Premier League matches ahead of Saturday’s trip to bottom club Aston Villa.

“I have watched Norwich a lot since the start of the season and I have seen the way they have been playing, and I thought it kind of fitted my style,” said Bamford, who was part of the Middlesbrough team which lost to Norwich in the 2015 Sky Bet Championship Play-off final at Wembley.

“I knew they would be creating chances and stuff. If anything they have just been a little bit unlucky with a few mistakes here and there, but they have been playing good football and so I thought it was a good fit.”

Bamford added: “All of last season they have been good and since the gaffer (Alex Neil) came in they have changed the style a bit and have been a team who play total football and has been an attractive team to watch.”

Neil had been keen to bring Bamford to Norfolk over the summer, before the striker instead opted to stay in London at Palace.

“It gives you a lot of confidence as a player if you know the manager wants you and that is better than going to a club where you are not sure if he does want you or he doesn’t and it is just to make up the numbers so that was a big factor,” Bamford said at a press conference, broadcast on the club’s official website.

“It was a tough time for me (at Palace). I did think I was going to play when I first went, but things in football change quite quickly.

“It was just one of those things where the team was playing well and it was hard to get into (the side).

“I would have liked to have hit the Premier League with a bit of bang at Palace, but that did not work out, so I have a bit of something to prove this time around, but I am not applying any more pressure to myself.”

Norwich head to Villa Park only two points above the drop zone, and have shipped some 14 goals in their Premier League losing streak.

“We understand the enormity of the situation,” said Neil.

“Only wins will do for us, and we can’t rely on other teams.

“Villa is a big game, but we have had a lot of them this season, and after this one, it snowballs, when each game gets bigger and bigger regardless of where you are in the table.”