Getting gutsy when it matters
12/31/2024 10:00 AM
Sunderland head into 2025 in a great position, but recent games have shown a concerning inability to see games out
Stoke's 92nd-minute winner past Anthony Patterson on Sunday was a kick right in the proverbials. It was a game where we didn't take our chances and another one where we couldn't see a result out, losing astonishingly.
The Tom Cannon goal was the eighth we've conceded in the 83rd minute or later this season, with all of these costing us points. Although we've also scored late on to win points and you can argue this event itself out over the course of the season, the two games in three days after Christmas have left a particular sour taste in the mouth.
Defensively we've not been as sharp in recent weeks, but despite this we've ended up losing just once in December. At Blackburn and Stoke we were minutes away from four points, and ended up with one in something that shows our mentality isn't always what we'd hope it to be.
Losing points in injury time is as frustrating as it comes being a football fan. Blackburn was particularly annoying given that we had worked so hard to come from behind and take the lead, only to sit deep and concede a soft goal. Stoke's winner was a mess from a defensive point of view, with Luke O'Nien being the main guilty man and Chris Mepham hardly covering himself in too much glory.
At neither Blackburn nor Stoke was the decision made to clear the ball and push everyone forward. Instead, we sat deeper and deeper, conceded possession and set pieces, and paid the ultimate price. It's no secret that our strong start to the season faded off, and two interesting stats can be used depending on if you want to be a glass half full or glass half empty.
We've lost just two of our last 17 games, but on the other hand we've won just three of our last 12. The context of some of the games not won shows that an annoying theme was developing well before the festive trips to Ewood Park and the Bet365 Stadium- one of being unable to see games out.
It's not every week of course. In December we played from behind to win three games and made sure we finished with three points on each occasion, but you can't ignore the late goals conceded over Christmas as well as at Millwall and others. It feels as though RLB needs to instill the gutsy side to some of our players, but in fairness this may be down to individual character rather than anything the boss can do.
On a positive note, only one of the other sides in the top eight won on Sunday, meaning that our dropped point didn't have much impact. With back-to-back home games kicking off the New Year it's important to hit the ground running in 2025. Everyone drops points, that's part of football, but it's going to be important for Sunderland to rediscover some of the defensive astuteness that helped us get off to a flying start and which has made us a top six team for all these months now. Onwards and upwards with a tasty fixture on New Year's Day to come.
