Matchday Musings: Sunderland undone by Cannon pile-driver

12/30/2024 01:00 AM

There's no club quite like Stoke in the football pyramid. The Potters are the Guardiola antichrist: an unfashionable footballing entity, a symbol of a bygone era. Undoubtedly perpetuated by the days of Tony Pulis and Rory Delap's freakishly long throws, Stoke's reputation as England's resident route one specialists continues to precede them, even if it has just become a tired stereotype.

Like us, Stokeys have endured a torrid time since their relegation from the top flight. Albeit, unlike us, their directionless spiral has shown no signs of slowing down, with a revolving door of managers and dwindling attendances. As such, it was hardly a surprise that on the eve of our clash down at the Bet365, after just one win in 10, Narcis Pelach was given the sack.

Anyway, enough about the misfortunes of our hosts. We were heading into the fixture, having amassed a very respectable 10 points from a possible 15. Despite the Boxing Day sucker punch served up to us at Ewood Park in the form of a 90th-minute equaliser, we were going into Sunday's game unbeaten in five.

Having made the trip to the Potteries with over 3,000 others, I felt particularly optimistic even if the "newly sacked manager bounce" threatened to rob us of the last of our festive spirit.

With Chris Rigg ruled out through injury, Regis Le Bris was forced to lean on his squad, giving Milan Aleksic the nod in midfield. Following early-season exile, Adil Auochiche continued on his redemption arc with a starting berth, replacing Patrick Roberts, who dropped to the bench.

There was a frenetic pace to the opening exchanges, with neither side taking their foot off the accelerator. We set out our stall with a Klopp-esque high-line, and while this allowed us to get at Stoke offensively, it also enabled Stoke to get in behind on several occasions. Although we were living a little dangerously, there was a fluidity to our play, and it seemed almost inevitable that the deadlock would be broken sooner rather than later.

As the minutes ticked by, chance after chance went begging. The much-lauded Viktor Johansson in the Stoke net was having a blinder, pulling off a series of top saves. Wilson Isidor went closest to opening our account for the afternoon, but Johansson's outstretched palm managed to guide it onto the post.

When the half-time whistle blew, we were well on top. Our build-up play was seamless at times, if we could just find a clinical edge in the final third, we'd be in business. While he has garnered some criticism of late, Wilson Isidor's movement and hold-up play were massively encouraging, enabling Eliezer Mayenda and Adil Auochiche to bomb on. Dan Neil was, once again, hugely influential in midfield, picking out tricky passes with all the ease of a prime Xabi Alonso.

Stoke began the second half arguably the better of the two sides. Chris Mepham was forced to channel his inner Bruce Lee when he acrobatically cleared the ball off the line after an Anthony Patterson save dropped kindly to the oncoming Andrew Moran. After weathering the early Stoke storm, we started to get joy on the left, with Auochiche frequently finding pockets of space. As Isidor did in the first half, the silky Frenchman would find his shot parried onto the post by a resilient Johansson.

It was Auochiche again who found Eliezer Mayenda in acres of space just moments later, frustratingly, Mayenda couldn't direct the resulting header goalward. Trai Hume and Auochiche both had further chances before the final whistle, but to no avail. Having chalked up a mighty 22 shots on goal and dominated proceedings, the cruel final roll of the dice seemed almost predictable.

Failing to clear our lines in the dying embers, the ball fell just outside our box to Tom Cannon, who lashed it past Anthony Patterson to register the first and only goal of the game and inflict a gut-wrenching defeat on the lads, who deserved a point or more.

This was just "one of those games". In all, we played well, with vigour and aggression. We looked sharp in the final third despite a goal eluding us. Milan Aleksic was lively and certainly gave Le Bris some food for thought, and his performance begged the question of "why hasn't he been given more game time?". On a positive note, Le Bris had clearly taken heed from last Thursday's game, using all three of his substitutes (two inside 70 minutes) and doing so in a pragmatic and well-formulated manner.

Over the last few games, we've displayed some signs of defensive fragility. Dennis Cirkin wasn't at the races and was rightly hooked an hour in. While I'm an advocate for the Mepham and O'Nien partnership, they have developed some susceptibility to cheap and costly mistakes, as well as lapses in concentration at vital moments.

Ultimately, this result served as a poignant lesson in taking your chances when they present themselves. Unfortunately, we didn't and paid the price.