Talking Points: Late goal dents otherwise promising evening for Sunderland

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

Midea coverage

Sunderland are expecting to reveal their new home strip in the very near future, although Sevilla have already released their version, plus their change option – and you may have noticed that they include a familiar name. In case you couldn’t quite place it, the Spanish club’s main sponsor, Midea, a Chinese home appliance and air conditioner/heating manufacturer, were previously back-of-shorts sponsor for The Lads in the 2023-24 campaign.

Good numbers

It isn’t just the players that are shaking off the cobwebs

– the fans need to get back into the swing of things after a summer of promotion celebrations as well. Both clubs were backed to be fair, with the Sevilla crowd helping create a canny atmosphere that reflected the pace of the game. As for our lads and lasses, fair play to every one that was able to make the trek over to Portugal to support the team!

Fringe benefits

A lot of the attention was going to fall on the new arrivals, and they all made a positive impression, but it was just as pleasing to see some of those coming back from injury or just starting out in their career getting a chance also. Niall Huggins and Jenson Seelt both seemed to be up to speed, and the younger players that came on for the second half will hopefully have learnt a lot from going up against a team of Seville’s pedigree.

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

Hunger

Direction and desire were both on show from Sunderland, but it was inevitable that some mistakes would be made. The reaction to the misplaced passes or fumbles is what matters however, and every time there was an error the team were quick to recover ground or try and win possession back. That extra drive and a desperation to have each other’s back are going to be massive next season.

Fast forward

Things changed after the break when Sevilla had the edge in terms of experience; before that it was Sunderland that appeared to be on the front foot and the idea clearly was to do things quickly. Extra touches were eliminated and where possible the ball was moved forward immediately – not sideways or backwards. There was a lot of power and athleticism on show, and crucially, lots of pace, and to maximise those attributes the team must also be quick in thought and intention. The early signs are that this will be the case.

Two goal swing

With just a few minutes left Sunderland looked set to make it 2-0, only for the chance to be wasted and Sevilla to soon level with a rather dubious attempt (would VAR have ruled that as offside had it been in operation? I would say so, but I was wearing red and white tinted specs admittedly). It was a shame certainly, as a victory for Régis Le Bris and co would have felt fair and been a nice springboard, but the main sense is still positive, and the squad can be happy with their efforts in the Algarve breeze.

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