Sunderland continued their pre-season preparations with their second of three Premier League Summer Series games, this one resulting in a 1-0 loss to Leeds United.
But what are the main points of discussion following this match?
Is Melker Ellborg Ready for the Job?
Our Swedish goalkeeper has taken a fair bit of flak on social media since conceding the only goal of the game.
After the ball was given away cheaply by Enzo Le Fée, Lukas Nmecha attempted a shot from around 40 yards out, which may well have been mishit. However, Ellborg found
himself out of position and was unable to get back to stop the ball nestling in the bottom corner.
In my eyes, Ellborg did enough last season in the games he played to warrant his position as our number two.
Even in this game, other than the goal, Ellborg made some good saves, commanded his box well and distributed the ball consistently.
Alan Browne Performs Again
Alan Browne put in yet another strong showing in the hour or so of football he played against Leeds United, following up on previous good performances against York City and Liverpool.
The Irishman is doing well to put himself in Régis Le Bris’ favour ahead of the coming season and, whilst many may scoff at Browne being used in European competition, his international experience certainly would not be a hindrance in what will be a long campaign.
On another note, these performances may also have the effect of placing Browne in the shop window, which could help generate some income for the club to put towards any incomings between now and deadline day.
World Cup Stars Returning
It was great to see a number of our World Cup superstars taking part in Friday’s game, with Noah Sadiki, Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra, Nilson Angulo and Brian Brobbey all getting 30-35 minutes of game time on their returns.
All showed signs of what they can offer, with Sadiki, Diarra and Angulo in particular putting in strong performances. The latter may well have given Régis Le Bris something to think about, considering his departure seemed almost certain in recent days.
With another game against Wrexham coming up on Sunday, it is a chance for more minutes in the legs for these lads and a final opportunity before the last of our players return, with Granit Xhaka, Omar Alderete, Chemsdine Talbi and Thomas Meunier linking up with the squad following their return from the USA.
Highlights and Lowlights
We all know pre-season is not about the results. Last season we lost to Hull and Hearts before going on to qualify for Europe, but that does not always stop the negativity surrounding pre-season results.
However, this game had a number of positives to take away.
For the most part, Sunderland dominated possession and were often just one final ball away from completing a number of good moves and getting shots away. Hopefully, this is simply a natural case of pre-season rustiness, particularly for the likes of Brobbey on his return. Given a few extra weeks on the training ground, these issues should be ironed out in time for the start of the season.
Certain players mentioned above had strong showings, such as Adingra, Diarra, Browne and Sadiki, as well as others who consistently made the right decisions, including Luke O’Nien, Reinildo, Chris Rigg and Nordi Mukiele.
I also thought Romaine Mundle looked bright. Although he did not always make the right decision, that is to be expected of a player of his ilk, looking to drive forward and take on his man.
Mundle looked fit, which was good to see after a long period struggling with injury, and he spent much of his time on the pitch running at Jayden Bogle and trying to make something happen.
Final Thoughts
Overall, it was a decent performance with a good style of play, although the result was disappointing.
There were plenty of promising signs in what is still relatively early in pre-season, with new signings still to come and players yet to return and build their match fitness.
I think we can be fairly happy with what we’ve seen from Régis Le Bris’ men so far, and we can be confident of getting off to another good start this season, hopefully with a brand of football similar to what we saw in the latter stages of last season.
Three more challenges await before the curtain-raiser, so let’s focus on making sure everyone is match fit and raring to go when we travel to Portman Road.
