Sunderland: Mike Dodds’ verdict on Southampton defeat

Mike Dodds was enraged by Sunderland’s four goals surrendered at Southampton, but the interim head coach insists he cannot fault his players’ effort or mentality, despite his side’s six-game losing streak.

Southampton dominated the first half and led 2-0 at the halftime before Sunderland staged an unexpected second-half comeback, drawing level, only to lose two quick goals, both scored by replacement Joe Rothwell.

Despite the home team’s first-half domination, Dodds claimed Sunderland fought “toe to toe with Southampton for long periods,” but his men let themselves down with their defending, resulting in Southampton’s goals.

“The four goals are avoidable goals so that’s a real disappointment from my perspective,” he added.

“Nothing changed tactically from the first half to the second half; the only difference was that we were more aggressive, which is why I am frustrated.

“I want to spin a lot of positives in that we’ve come up against two incredibly high-quality teams in Leicester and Southampton and gone toe-to-toe

with them for long periods of time, but we need to do that consistently and get results. I’m frustrated, but I see a group that is genuinely trying; it just feels like things aren’t working out for us.

“In the first half, there were pockets and times where someone didn’t commit to the press or a part of the game plan, which is unacceptable when

playing against a squad of their caliber. My biggest disappointment in the first half was our ball retention; we lacked the necessary quality.

“From a technical and individual standpoint, I thought we gave them the ball back too easily, whereas in the second half, we had more energy and

quality, which helped us gain a foothold in the game.”

“It’s been labelled at the group in the past in terms of the inconsistency, for me today the frustration is with what we did technically in possession

rather than it being about the mentality out of possession.”