Michael Beale has taken the blame for one recurring weakness for Sunderland as it proved to be the downfall of the visitors against Huddersfield.
The Black Cats’ hopes of making the playoffs were severely damaged on Wednesday night as they lost 1-0 to Huddersfield on the road.
Sunderland had a terrible performance and was unable to carry over their winning streak into the match, as they defeated Plymouth 3-1.
Michael Beale’s team finishes 10th as a result of the outcome, and the manager is quite upset with his team’s performance.
Nevertheless, the manager has finally accepted responsibility for one significant flaw in his team that ultimately led to their demise, notwithstanding the subpar performance by his players.
Michael Beale takes the blame for set piece horror show
In a poor quality match, Huddersfield won the tie in a way that may have been avoided. In the first half, Matty Pearson bundled the ball home after a free-kick was only parried away.
The set plays’ shots seemed much more menacing from this point on. from another Terrier free-kick struck the post in the second half, Jobe Bellingham had to take the ball off the line from a corner.
This is not the first time this season that Sunderland has appeared to be inept at stopping set plays. Now, following the game, Beale acknowledged that he and his team needed to resolve this recurring problem.
“It’s really disappointing”, he told Sunderland. “We conceded again from a set play away from home. It is an area we need to improve upon; in the time I have been here, it has been really costly to the team.
“In the first half, it was a midfield battle and they were up and at us. We need to stand up for ourselves a little bit at times. When we get opportunities, we need to be better in the final third with our last pass.
“In the second half, we opened up and it made it a bit of an end-to-end game but we were the team chasing it as the away team. They had a couple of chances and we did as well but they haven’t found it.
“I am just really disappointed because it is an away game and we have lost to a set play. That is on me and the staff, we have to find the answers to that. We know coming away from teams are going to go for you and when you can’t find a moment of quality you have to stay in the game.”
Sunderland must find a quick solution to set piece problem
Beale needs to find a way to solve this persistent issue if Sunderland want to stay in the playoff race.
Every time Huddersfield received a corner or a free-kick, it appeared as though they may score. This might prove to be a more lethal threat for Sunderland when playing opponents with better players on their roster.
Sunderland has given up 10 goals from set pieces so far this season, according to WhoScored. Only Stoke, Blackburn, Watford, and QPR have given up more goals.
It is obvious that this problem is costing the team important points in the postseason race. Beale has to act swiftly to find a remedy because the problem is highly preventable.
For more updates visit https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply