Sunderland’s struggles in attack continue Sunderland’s goalless draw with Leeds on Sunday was far from a classic. It did, however, pose two potent questions. Firstly, how on earth was did the winds of Storm Boelo manage to sweep through row Z of the Jimmy Montgomery Stand at the Stadium of Light? Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, what can be done about Sunderland’s struggles in attack? As I sat, for over 90 minutes in my press box seat, bravely enduring the gusts, I watched the Black Cats show more spirit than they had done in the Premier League in recent weeks. I also noticed that they had managed to iron out the mistakes in defence that had cost them so dear at Bournemouth. In attack, though, they continued to lack imagination. Walking into the press room at the Stadium of Light around two and a half hours ahead of kick off, I wasn’t necessarily expecting Sunderland to run riot in front of goal, but I was certainly thought I’d witness more than what was ultimately served up. In Poznań on Thursday, Sunderland, to their credit, had created a lot of opportunities. All that was missing was the finishing touches. Leeds are a far superior side to Poznań, but I was still astonished at how nearly all of the creativity shown in Poland had dissipated. Should this come as a surprise though? Well, perhaps not. I watched enough of Newcastle United in both the Premier League and Champions League last season to realise that European teams award you far more space than those here in England. It’s therefore little wonder that a Newcastle side that would ultimately finish 12th domestically, put three past Benfica and PSV Eindhoven, two past Athletic Bilbao, and nine past Qarabag (over two legs). Sunderland would appear to be in a similar boat. Whilst they are yet to boast the goalscoring figures posted by their North East neighbours when playing sides from the continent, they have looked much more convincing. This brings me back to my original question then - what can be done about the attacking issues in the Premier League? For starters, all of their strikers being fit would help. Brian Brobbey had moments against Leeds, but when his eventual substitution came, it was obvious that he had given as much as he could have done. Post match, Régis Le Bris stressed that Brobbey will need time to get back up to speed. Meanwhile, Wilson Isidor is also nearing a return to fitness, but he, like Brobbey, will also need a bedding-in period. The problem is, neither Brobbey or Isidor are massively prolific to begin with, and Sunderland’s midfield do not contribute enough to their goalscoring. Only Enzo Le Fée outside of Brobbey and Isidor reached five goals for the Black Cats last season, with the now out of favour Chemsdine Talbi netting four. Granit Xhaka only mustered one, Habib Diarra got two, and Chris Rigg also got the solitary goal. Noah Sadiki is yet to register in the Premier League for Sunderland. The issues continue this season, Enzo Le Fée has one, as does Nilson Angulo, but that is it outside of the two strikers (who themselves have struggled). Therefore, Régis Le Bris must find a way of getting his midfielders to contribute more often to Sunderland’s goalscoring. Whether that be through chance creation, or putting the ball in the net, something has to change. Is it a lack of confidence in the final third? I don’t know, but it seemed obvious to me as I continued to subject myself to delightful conditions, that Sunderland'‘s players do not shoot on sight all that often. Okay, James Trafford was forced into action on a few occasions, but he did not have to produce anything spectacular. My argument would be that sometimes when half a yard of space comes, an effort can be worth it, and players at this level need to have the conviction to take on the goalkeeper. Maybe if they did, I and the thousands of others sat inside the Stadium of Light would have had something to appreciate. A big win for Matthias Jaissle, but one that cannot be in isolation I managed to watch Newcastle’s two-nil victory over Crystal Palace on my laptop ahead of kick off at the Stadium of Light. Of course, watching on a small screen is hardly a substitute for being there, but even I, watching on from the press room on Wearside could see how dire, dismal, disappointing, deplorable even, that first half at Selhurst Park was. It was as if both keepers were playing hoof ball to each other for the majority of the time, with twenty other men stood in between, watching the spherical bag of air go back and forth above their heads. I’ll be honest, during the half time interval I had real concerns as to what would follow in the second half, and what the potential repercussions of that would be. Matthias Jaissle is someone who I believe deserves time - time to develop his young squad and implement his style and system. As we know, however, there have been teething problems, and the need for progression, rather than regression was becoming more apparent. Therefore, whatever was said at half time by Jaissle, certainly had the desired effect. Newcastle looked coherent for the opening period of the second half, and raced into a two-goal lead. It was something to cling onto both performance and ultimately, result wise. That said, they were up against a Crystal Palace side who made Newcastle’s recent midfield and defensive problems look insignificant. They were a mess. As a result, as important as this win was for Newcastle, it cannot be a one-off. It cannot be a brief papering over of the cracks, and must instead be a springboard for further improvements. On a positive note, Nico González had probably his best game in a Newcastle shirt, commanding the midfield that for once was not as wide open as the Red Sea following the influence of Moses. Additionally, Amar Dedić’s return at right back was a welcome one, and he provided another assist. There were still issues of course. That first half cannot be ignored, and I would still like to see a more clear identity in Newcastle’s setup and play. But, what is significant, is that when it mattered, Matthias Jaissle and Newcastle delivered. Now, they must continue to do so. Get full access to North East Football TV at www.northeastfootballtv.com/subscribe
