Nagging weaknesses could be harming Sunderland's playoff prospects
03/21/2025 02:00 AM
After two disappointing results, Michael Dunne feels that we need to use the international break to reset and address some key issues ahead of the final run of games
I didn't watch the Coventry City game live on Saturday but it appeared to pan out how I feared during the week leading up to the fixture.
Under Frank Lampard, the Sky Blues are absolutely flying up the table and appear to have the vital momentum that's necessary running into the end of the season.
On the other hand, Sunderland's performances — more so than our results — under Régis Le Bris have been getting progressively worse and we're now looking like the horse in the Grand National who flies out of the blocks but begins to run out of energy close to the finish line.
Obviously this team has so much credit in the bank for some extraordinary performances before Christmas but it's clear that we're beginning to flounder at a crucial time.
Although we won against Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday, the team looks low on energy, defensively fragile and lacking a creative spark at the crucial end of the pitch. There are many possible reasons for this downturn, with the workload on some of the younger players a big issue.
The likes of Jobe Bellingham, Chris Rigg and Wilson Isidor have played a significant amount of games again this season and it seems that the load on their bodies has become too much of late.
The aforementioned trio have been some of our best performers this season but it feels as though a week lying on the beach in the Costa Del Sol would be more beneficial for them than ninety minutes at the Stadium of Light.
With these lads feeling the pinch, having backup options is key but the question must be posed — do we have any players of note to replace them?
Our most featured starting line up has been Patterson, Hume, O'Nien, Mepham, Cirkin, Neil, Jobe, Rigg, Roberts, Mundle/Le Fée and Isidor.
Alan Browne, Tommy Watson, Dan Ballard (currently injured), and Eliezer Mayenda can be identified as the most favorable back up options we've used, but considering all of the above have suffered injuries at one stage or another, it highlights how threadbare our squad has been throughout the season.
Of course, this makes the success we've enjoyed all the more brilliant but from my perspective, it leaves a unquestionable tinge of frustration/regret that the club hasn't recruited as well as it's done in the past.
The signings of Aaron Connolly, Salis Abdul Samed, Ian Poveda, Ahmed Abdullahi and the non-existent Jayden Danns have all been epic failures which have further put stress on a squad that's already stretched.
During the January window, one must question why more wasn't done to help this ailing squad.
The signing of Le Fée was clearly a good piece of business but if the club should be praised for making a good signing, the fans are more than entitled to raise questions regarding the abundance of poor ones also made in recent times.
The five aforementioned recruits have either been consistently injured or evidently not up to scratch, and although not all the blame can be placed at the door of Kristjaan Speakman, I do tend to think that recent signings are inconsistent at the very best.
In addition to recruitment, I'm puzzled at the structure of our coaching setup.
With Mike Dodds gone, there does seem to be a vacancy for an experienced coach to fill, and given the abundance of positive farewell messages that were posted upon his departure, it's clear that Dodds was loved by the players and staff.
His departure followed the appointment of Pedro Ribeiro and whilst I'm not one for conspiracy theories, there's certainly been a correlation between Sunderland's change in performances and Ribeiro's influence.
Le Bris is a smart man and it's clear that the players are very fond of him, but issues and cracks appear to be popping up in relation to the team as the season has progressed.
This article may be perceived as very negative — or at least focusing on the negatives — but it seems clear how this season is going to pan out for us unless we can get our act together.
Whether it's down to exhaustion or a change in tactics, the high-tempo, attacking football played by the team earlier in the season has been replaced by a slow, methodical style of play.
It isn't bringing the rewards necessary for promotion and we appear to be a team in reverse rather than stepping on the accelerator.
If Coventry showed me anything, it was the importance of momentum and with the club now on an international break, this is the perfect time for Le Bris to reset.
The opportunity we've created for ourselves needs to be capitalised on, as the nature of the Championship means that we may not get this chance again for a while.
If we don't, we're at risk of sleepwalking into the playoffs and becoming the boxer who's one punch away from a knockout.
