What do Sunderland need to work on during the international break?

Today at 01:00 AM

We're top of the league and in decent form, but which areas of potential weakness could be addressed by Régis Le Bris and his players before we resume our league campaign?

Malc Dugdale says...

Working on our passing accuracy

Despite our league position being as good as it is, there have been times where we've been quite wasteful with the ball and I'd like Régis Le Bris to spend some time focusing on passing accuracy and retaining possession without cheaply giving away it to the other side.

If teams win the ball back, fair enough, but from time to time they haven't had to try too hard to get it due to our unforced passing errors. It's not any one man, as a few are guilty.

It's clear that we're happy to stand off teams at times and our tactics include allowing opponents more possession to then press and counter, but when we do get the ball, we need to waste a bit less of it.

If we can do that, we move ten or twenty yards up the pitch. We'll give away even fewer goals and those clean sheets will be crucial going forward. The top two may well be determined by goal difference, so focusing on that now is a wise move.

Settling on our first choice central defensive midfielder

We really need to work out who plays this role and if we can make progress with that during the break, it would be a major step forward.

Dan Neil isn't really that person, for me. He's a great player but we're holding him back right now by asking him to do a job as we have, and preventing him from being dropped due to his position as captain.

We do have options emerging from the treatment room and we may well already have the answer within the squad, but we need to find a way to integrate newer defensive midfield players into the side without losing any momentum.

Salis Abdul Samed is one player who may well step up soon, but we need to work out when, who gives way, and what our shape will be when that happens.

The middle of the park is an area in which we flip from brilliant to iffy at times, and if our wide men are being marked out of the game, it's imperative to use the middle route to create chances.

With these improvements, we could really step up in our performances and hold onto a place in the top two as we approach the Christmas fixtures.

Mark Roberts says...

Working on the press

During our first few games, the press was a constant danger to our opponents. Harassing at speed and with coordination, we gave no quarter and chances were created.

However, during the recent games against Leeds, Derby and Watford, the press was less effective. It may be a sign of fatigue or due to having Wilson Isidor in the starting line up, but this isn't a slight on him as he'll need some time to get himself fully match fit.

Our four-man press can work well, with the frenetic Romaine Mundle, the dynamic Jobe and the enigma of Patrick Roberts joining Isidor.

It needs a bit more of a fine tune in terms of when to go, who takes the lead and when to hold. It's not Roberts' natural game but there have been signs that he can be more aggressive and make it work.

It'll be key in retaining this drive for promotion.

Dan Neil's form

Neil is a high quality footballer who, for whatever reason, isn't performing at his expected level this season, never mind his potential.

Last season, he was my first name on the team sheet, and his drive, tackling and passing got us through games as our season petered out. He was exceptional at times but this season, he'd be lucky to make my top ten.

Harsh? Probably, because I expect more. He's just not delivering in comparison to the majority of his teammates.

Although I thought he played better against Leeds and Derby, he was still not among the best players on the pitch and as I see it, there are three factors that might've affected his performances.

The captaincy may not be suited to him as there's the extra pressure for a hometown player. Thankfully, we're top of the league due to some exceptional performances from many of the players in the team.

Next, we're playing well, and is this the best that Neil can deliver? Is this his level?

I don't believe so, but perhaps he doesn't need to be one of the 'star players', so does he rely more on teammates to make it happen, or does he need a kick up the backside?

Finally, Wasserman. This is the one of biggest agents in the world and they were ranked second in Forbes' latest rankings, with 2,000 clients' contracts worth US$9.5 billion.

No new contract signed and the more I read into Wasserman, the less likely it seems to fit our sustainable management system. Heavy lies the head who wears the crown.

Hopefully I'm wrong and Dan signs a new contract and smashes the promotion-winning season.

Tom Albrighton says...

Making improvements in possession

We haven't been awful in possession by any means but it's a worry that as time goes on, teams will become happier to sit in against us, should our strong start continue.

When faced with the prospect of more time on the ball, it seems like the more we have it the worse we become. This isn't news to Régis Le Bris, who's mentioned on more than one occasion that we need to be better with the ball at our feet.

My fears were somewhat compounded in the final third of the Leeds encounter, when despite having plenty of the ball, we really struggled to create anything clear cut when Leeds allowed us to have possession and territory.

Cutting out self-inflicted mistakes

Mistakes are part of the game and whilst you'd rather drop points through silly mistakes than being comprehensively outplayed, I do worry that should we continue to squander points through our own brief periods of ineptitude, they'll not only catch up to us but seriously hurt us.

This season is shaping up to be one of fine margins and if we can't cut out the naive errors, specifically away from home, we may end up falling short.

I'm unsure as to whether it's an experience issue or players making errors due to fatigue, but I feel it's something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, as more streetwise and wily teams will keep these mistakes to a minimum.