Talking Points: Sunderland crash to defeat at Coventry City

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A dismal display and defeat was the sum total of the Lads' efforts in the Midlands as Frank Lampard's side gave us a good shoeing. Phil West reflects on the game's main stories

The Coventry curse continues, and painfully so

After somehow throwing away a 2-0 lead against the then-managerless Sky Blues at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, the trip to the Midlands represented a chance for the Lads to make amends for that result, to claim the scalp of a fellow playoff hopeful and to head into the international break with some much-needed momentum pushing us forwards.

However, that ideal was torn to shreds on a dismal afternoon at the CBS Arena as a dynamic, powerful and efficient display from the hosts condemned us to a brutal loss.

Sadly, the Lads were their own worst enemies, turning in a limp, disjointed and frankly wretched display that fell a mile below the standards we've often set under Régis Le Bris and that'll leave the head coach and his players open to all kinds of criticism in the coming days.

Haji Wright was the star of the show, netting a memorable hat trick for the Sky Blues, but Coventry's efforts were aided and abetted by some desperately poor play from those in red and white, and you have to wonder what effect this will have on morale as we await the visit of Millwall on March 29.

Resilience and the ability to respond to setbacks have been two of our key qualities this season. We'll need every ounce of that when we resume our Championship campaign, and Le Bris needs to find the answers — fast.

Sunderland fall apart in the heat of battle

To the question, 'When did Sunderland last turn in a truly convincing ninety-minute performance?', the answer for me is, 'Against Sheffield United at home'.

Even games such as Middlesbrough away and the trip to Burnley were chaotic thrillers — and that's to say nothing of our recent home displays, which have been increasingly timid and bereft of conviction for reasons I can't work out.

On Saturday, and whether it was down to mental fatigue, physical exhaustion or a combination of the two, we simply never got going as passes went astray, chances were missed and the players often looked distracted and frankly unfocused — a harsh rap for a group of lads who've done so well for us this season.

From Chris Mepham conceding a penalty with a frankly stupid flick of the leg to oddly below-par displays from the likes of Jobe and Dan Neil, this was the kind of display that we hoped we'd left behind when Le Bris first arrived on Wearside and made clear that raised standards would be par for the course.

In recent weeks, our automatic promotion prospects have faded badly and the target has been recalibrated, but at the moment, would you back us to deliver in the playoffs — and possibly against a Coventry side who are going from strength to strength under Lampard?

I certainly wouldn't, and although this may have been a one off, Le Bris faces something of a challenge to lift the spirits of his players after such a morale-sapping afternoon. Let's hope he can.

Dennis Cirkin suffers another injury setback

Ever since the January transfer window closed, and despite Leo Hjelde's willingness to deputise and Jenson Seelt's gradual return to the fray, I've felt that the decision not to bring in a game-ready left back (as well as a backup for Trai Hume on the other side) might've been costly— a view shared by Roker Report's Jonny Hawley.

In recent games, it's not been easy to watch Cirkin. It seems like he's been playing with fragile confidence and seeing him limp off the pitch at the CBS Arena on Saturday was another blow on an already difficult afternoon.

When on form, Cirkin (recently named in England's U21 squad) is a fine operator at this level but 2024/2025 has been a challenging season for the former Tottenham prospect and this won't have helped matters.

At his best, Cirkin is a real asset and a key member of Le Bris' squad, but his third season of Championship football hasn't been easy. Hopefully he'll be back soon.

Onwards to Millwall and a reunion with You-Know-Who

Make no mistake: Alex Neil will be relishing the opportunity to bring the Lions to the Stadium of Light in two weeks' time and it promises to be a tough test as we attempt to move on from this shambles and get ourselves back on the right track as the playoffs loom large.

With any luck, we'll be able to call on the services of the brilliant Enzo Le Fée when Neil and Millwall pitch up at the Stadium of Light, and that'll hopefully give us the confidence to ditch the cautious passing and timid build up play that's been the hallmark of so many home games, and actually take the game to the visitors as we know we can.

Pragmatism isn't a playoff-winning strategy. Containment won't work either, and if anything positive comes out of this dismal defeat, it may be that we're spurred on to revert back to the style that's often served us so well this season.

Many Sunderland bosses have experienced watershed moments during their time in charge; games where things didn't go to plan and changes were made as a result. I feel we've reached that stage with Le Bris and after so many unconvincing recent displays, this really does need to be the proverbial line in the sand.