Ciaran McKenna says…
Brian Brobbey’s goal
Another brilliant finish from Brobbey — although it did turn out to be something of a consolation goal.
The build-up play to find Nordi Mukiele was terrific and so was the ball into the box. It was a class header from the Dutchman, but just a shame that was the only real chance we created.
Our AFCON finalists return!
It was nice to see Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi back in action.
Admittedly, Talbi’s impact was minimal, but I thought Diarra played well. He saw a lot of the ball and made the correct decision almost every time
— and it was the lovely ball from him that set Mukiele up for the assist.
Hopefully both of our AFCON finalists will be back to their best soon.
Granit Xhaka’a absence
We missed him badly today.
I don’t necessarily mean his footballing ability (although I’m sure it would’ve helped), but instead his leadership.
He’s the one to sets the standards; the one who tells people where to be and what to do. Most importantly, he keeps the players focussed and motivated, and we missed all of these things yesterday.
It also looks like he’s set to be sidelined for the Burnley game at a minimum and most likely more, so we need to plug those gaps quickly and it may even lead to some last-minute transfer business.
A difficult game for Trai Hume
It might seem harsh to pick out one player to write negatively about, but I think it is justified, especially with how consistently good Hume has been so far this season.
I was pleased to see him trusted with the captaincy, but he was poor. His passing was terrible, regularly handing over possession and it was a silly and unnecessary challenge in the box to give away the penalty.
He wasn’t the only one who underperformed today and I’m sure he’ll work hard to rectify his errors.
Jon Guy says…
Brian Brobbey keeps himself on the goal trail
It might’ve been a consolation but our big number nine got another goal which will boost his confidence in a game where chances were few and far between.
Welcome returns for Habib Diarra and Chemsdine Talbi
Good to see our AFCON finalists back!
Diarra and Talbi got forty five minutes and we need them back and firing ASAP..
Granir Xhaka’s absence hurts our chances
We need to find a functional system when Xhaka isn’t in the side.
We looked totally adrift in the first half and had it been against a top five team, it could’ve been worse. Régis Le Bris needs a workable “plan B” without our captain.
Sunderland off the boil
Too many players didn’t turn up and I think Le Bris and the coaching team need to have a long hard think about who has what it takes to compete in this league.
We were off the pace and the passion wasn’t there — which I think was the biggest disappointment.
Nic Wiseman says…
Régis Le Bris reacts
When it was clear that Trai Hume was floundering in the middle of midfield and assuming the role of the missing Granit Xhaka, Le Bris changed things at half time.
The three half-time changes made all the difference and we were much better in the second half.
The “curse of the black kit” is finally broken!
We’ve finally scored a goal in that black kit.
Brian Brobbey’s goal gave us brief hope that we could turn this game around. West Ham’s defence was nowhere as Nordi Mukiele slotted another assist for Brobbey to score unmarked.
A shocking first half
Rumour’s of Xhaka’s injury started circulating on Friday night and were confirmed when the team was announced — and Trai Hume as his replacement simply didn’t work.
Presumably they’d been training with this system throughout the week if Xhaka had picked his injury up last week against Crystal Palace, yet the team looked as disorganised as it had all season. A fragile West Ham side grew in confidence throughout the first half and we lost our discipline.
Things were much better in the second half but by then, the damage had been done.
Nordi Mukiele loses his cool
Mukiele can’t be allowed to show such disrespect to the coaching staff in public. Call it what you want — passion, frustration — but that show of petulance when he was substituted wasn’t acceptable and isn’t what I expect from a Sunderland player.
If he has a problem, address it behind closed doors as it opens us up to accusations of dressing room issues.
Keep your powder dry and don’t allow speculation to gain a hook.
