Fan Letters: "Sunderland should've been playing two up front sooner!"
01/04/2025 01:00 AM
RR reader Harry has been banging his head against the wall for weeks wondering why we don't play two up front, so it was a relief to see us go with Isidor and Mayenda on New Year's Day!
Dear Roker Report,
Apart from the opposition keeper and the kick taker, our box is packed for every set piece.
I know it's an old-fashioned concept, but if we lefttwo up in the centre circle, wouldn't the opposition need to leave three to defend them?
A lot of our conceded goals recently have been from our inability to clear in a crowded box, only for the overloaded opposition to smash in a loose ball.
Add that to the obvious threat Mayenda and Wilson offer us on racing clear with the ball up or over the top, I think defences would be terrified.
Kev Ramsay
Ed's Note [Gav]: I completely agree Kev - I've been saying the same myself recently. There are a few intricacies when it comes to set pieces that I don't really understand — on New Year's Day, for example, we had two players over every corner, but the spare man who wasn't the kick taker (usually Aouchiche) just stood there and did nothing. What's the point if we're not going to play it short? There's probably a reasonable explanation that goes beyond my layman's understanding of set pieces (and the same with what you've said), but I don't get it.
Dear Roker Report,
We get loads of corners but rarely score, so we have to change tactics and not crowd the six-yard box so much. There's a lot of shirt-pulling, hugging, and hands on shoulders. I even saw Luke O'Nien with his arm around a guy's neck, dragging him to one side.
Luke is a great player, but he has to stop doing things that might get him sent off (a disaster). Yellow cards are a big problem.
The next corner we get, let's stand our lads further away from the six-yard box, wait for the ball to come over, then blast it goalwards. It could go in off a body, hit a hand or leg, and we score.
Happy New Year and best wishes,
Bill Calvert
Dear Roker Report,
Please accept that I am not jumping on the bandwagon, but that formation played on New Year's Day was what I have been bending my wife's ear over for weeks. I bet she is sick of my ranting for the change of formation, to play Mayenda alongside Isidor. They both, as we know, possess an electric pace; boy did it show. Well done RLB and team for a resolute performance. Luke do not let your head drop you are a stalwart player through and through but maybe you position is further up the field have words with Regis.
Onward and upward you frustrating Sunderland team.
Harry Nixon
Ed's Note [Gav]: I think when it comes to tactics it's horses for courses. While I totally agree that we got our gameplan against Sheff United spot on, the reason it worked was because we played a team who were happy to come on to us and dominate the ball. That meant there was a load of room to exploit in behind, which made it really easy for Isidor and Mayenda to be effective. However, in the vast majority of games — particularly at home — we simply don't get the room to be as direct as we were there. That said, now we've shown we can play that way it's a good plan B in those games that are maybe a little more open. With the benefit of hindsight I reckon we'd have fared better down at Stoke if we'd played two up top as Stoke wanted to go toe to toe with us, so let's see going forward now whether it's something we do more often.
