The adherence to the club’s youth policy is admirable on one hand but a blend between youth and experience is needed
Sunderland’s strategy of relying on their youngsters hasn’t worked well in their past few games as they try to win the Championship again. It’s unthinkable to consider that the North East Giants’ 3-1 victory over Plymouth Argyle during Michael Beale’s tenure was their most recent football victory.
From the standpoint of the Black Cats, it simply isn’t good enough, and it’s hard to hold interim head coach Mike Dodds accountable because he can only employ the players at his disposal. Without a doubt, the team’s 4-2 loss to Southampton was caused by a lack of skill and careless defending.
It was reported to be the youngest starting XI in the history of the Championship, with an average age of just 20.8 years. That’s great in some ways but you need a blend of youth and experience and defensively Sunderland aren’t good enough at this moment in time, with costly errors being made.
Despite his talent—keep in mind that he is only 16—Chris Rigg was incredibly irresponsible when he flew into a tackle to give up a penalty on Saturday. Even though Jobe Bellingham scored a wonderful goal, he will also take note of the fact that he created Southampton’s first goal by heading straight across his own six-yard box, giving the opponent the opportunity to score. He was going across his own box, committing a cardinal sin. Trai Hume made the mistake of passing the ball directly to the opposition before that, which resulted in the penalty.
Injuries to key players are taking their toll; there have been positives but too many negatives in recent weeks; the team will probably be without Dan Ballard against QPR on Saturday while Luke O’Nien serves the second game. Managing the game is all part of being a professional, and Dodds himself stated that while there is a level of responsibility on him, there is also a responsibility on the players to execute instructions.
Much of the blame must lie with the ownership and sporting director Kristjaan Speakman on the recruitment front. Talented youngsters have come through and done well but there have been too many who have failed to impress. Not having a striker who can score goals, and not being able to defend, has seen Sunderland go from play-off contenders to a bang-average outfit and a team others will view as a soft touch right now. That shouldn’t be the case.
Read more on https://sportupdates.co.uk/
Leave a Reply