Sunderland player who made only three passes against Southampton might be benched.
Sunderland faces a seventh consecutive defeat in the Championship tonight, and Queens Park Rangers’ victory might lead to an unexpected relegation struggle.
Mike Dodds must carefully choose his Black Cats lineup to encourage them to a rare victory and put an end to the losing streak.
As interim manager, Dodds has been brave to play 16-year-old Chris Rigg, but the promising youth may be benched at QPR after failing to ignite away at Southampton.
Chris Rigg’s performance vs Southampton in numbers
Rigg has benefited from his 37-year-old boss’s daring selection decisions, appearing in all four games since Dodds took over as interim manager.
However, the 16-year-old’s performance in the club’s 4-2 loss from the start may mean that the lively number 31 will just make up the numbers on the bench against QPR rather than starting.
Rigg, a left-footed midfielder, had only 15 touches of the ball against St. Mary’s, a stark contrast to his last performance against Leicester City, where he had 43 touches and competed with the league leaders.
Furthermore, the young sensation’s forgettable performance included only five correct passes in 57 minutes on the pitch, as well as one blocked effort on Gavin Bazunu’s goal.
In fact, Rigg stood out as a midfield alternative on a day when his team lacked creativity and energy.
On the contrary, his more outstanding colleagues in the center, Romaine Mundle and Jobe Bellingham, sought to drive Sunderland to a comeback by scoring both of the team’s goals.
Mundle and Bellingham may have had to fill up the shortfall left by striker Mason Burstow’s absence, and Rigg may possibly follow him in missing today’s game against QPR.
Mason Burstow’s performance vs Southampton in numbers
The Chelsea loanee has only scored once in 19 Championship appearances, disappointing the Black Cats fans.
The 20-year-old attacker’s poor performance against St. Mary’s resulted in three off-target shots at Bazunu during his 57-minute stint on the South Coast, putting his place in the first team at risk. However, one of those efforts resulted in clattering the woodwork, to his credit.
With 15-goal scorer Jack Clarke out, Dodds and Co are looking for a new clinical finisher. Burstow, on the other hand, is inconsistent when given limited opportunities.
| Burstow’s numbers vs Southampton | |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 57 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Touches | 17 |
| Accurate passes | 3/8 (38%) |
| Duels won | 2/7 |
| Stats by Sofascore | |
Burstow struggled on the South Coast, managing only three correct passes in 17 touches and winning only two of seven duels.
Sunderland Echo journalist Phil Smith gave the Chelsea loanee a low 4/10 rating, citing his inability to impact the game. As a result, Dodds may start 20-year-old Luis Semedo in his place, with Nazariy Rusyn’s injury confirmed for today’s game.
Sunderland are just desperate for a win to lift their spirits, regardless of how ugly or positive their overall performance is, with Dodds hoping that some tweaks to his starting lineup would result in an important three points for his despondent team.
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