Since Sunderland first made it back to the Premier League under Peter Reid in 1997, the club has been home to some excellent centre-backs – no, Santiago Vergini, I wasn’t thinking of you. Nor you, Sotiris Kyrgiakos. Nor you, Valentin Roberge.
Steve Bould, Jody Craddock, Danny Collins, Wes Brown, John O’Shea, John Mensah, Younes Kaboul and Lamine Koné were all talented defenders. At times, they combined to create effective partnerships – Kaboul and Koné were the solid foundation which underpinned Sam
Allardyce’s great escape of 2016.
This season, Nordi Mukiele has played the bulk of the season in the centre of defence but was shifted to the right when Trai Hume was deployed in midfield in Granit Xhaka’s absence, before Mukiele himself succumbed to injury.
That has effectively limited Régis Le Bris to playing a back four, with Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete occupying the centre-back berths, and it is a partnership which is flourishing.
Ballard has adapted to life in the Premier League with such ease that it is sometimes difficult to remember that it is just his first season at this level. He has been an absolute rock, in the air and on the ground, dealing comfortably with some of the best strikers in the world. What has been equally impressive is his ability to bring the ball out of defence and step into midfield. His defence-splitting pass to Habib Diarra, which set up Eliezer Mayenda’s goal against Bournemouth, was a perfect example of the development of this aspect of his game.
The big Northern Irish international also poses a huge aerial attacking threat, constantly putting himself in the mix to compete from long throws and corners. He competes at both ends of the pitch, physically and wholeheartedly.
It was no surprise when he received the North East Football Writers Player of the Year award to add to Player of the Match awards against Newcastle, his former club Arsenal and Bournemouth.
Alongside him, Omar Alderete has shown just why his former club president was so distraught that they had to sell him, describing him as one of the best central defenders in La Liga.
The big Paraguayan has the intimidating look and demeanour of an enforcer in a South American drug cartel, someone who would happily cut off your fingers, one by one, and thoroughly enjoy the experience. It is no surprise that, with such a daunting presence, he is so successful in one-to-one duels.
But he is much more than an old-fashioned hard man. He reads the game exceptionally well and is rarely caught out of position, and possesses an exquisite first touch – his ability to control a driven or dropping ball is as deft as Enzo Le Fée’s. And he can play. Yes, very occasionally, he gets caught out, but he has the skill to turn and leave attackers chasing shadows. And, like Ballard, he is adept at carrying the ball out of defence and delivering creative passes. He has linked up very effectively with the likes of Noah Sadiki and Chemsdine Talbi down the left flank, and is happy to gallop forward when the opportunity arises.
There is no doubt that Nordi Mukiele is a talented defender who is equally at home as a right-back or as a central defender. But there is something formidable about the partnership that is developing in the middle of the defence between Ballard and Alderete. There is something of the ‘They shall not pass’ mentality about their approach to each match.
The Paraguayan’s age means that, at 29, he is unlikely to attract the magnitude of offer that would persuade the club to part with him. Ballard is three years younger and still of an age that one of Europe’s top clubs may put enough money on the table that could be considered too good to refuse.
Yet Florent Ghisolfi knows Ballard’s value to Sunderland all too well: “I can go to the market for all of them, but I cannot find a Ballard,” Ghisolfi said. “He is Sunderland – hard work, resilience, talent. I can look in Argentina and other markets, but I cannot find a Ballard.”
When Sunderland’s next Premier League campaign starts in August, if Ballard and Alderete are at the centre of our defence, we may be watching the best Sunderland centre-back pairing we have ever seen in the Premier League.
