Gav says…
Jules Ahoka… wow. You’re likely to hear a lot of repetition today on the positives, because anyone watching the game couldn’t have taken their eyes off the DR Congo wonderkid. Making his first start in a Sunderland shirt in ONLY HIS FIFTH EVER GAME OF PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL (I genuinely cannot believe this), Ahoka played like a man ten years his senior and has given us plenty to think about going forward. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if he’s playing in the first team alongside Granit soon if the performance
against Hull was anything to go by. I’m seriously impressed and can totally see why the club spent ten million quid on someone the majority of us had never heard of before, because he’s got serious potential.
Chris Rigg. Ahoka was probably my man of the match, but Rigg ran him close and had an excellent game in the centre of the park. All the experience and minutes we gave Riggy when he was barely out of nappies were well-earned, because he’s starting to look like a lad with some good experience behind him, and that is improving at a rapid rate. He’s done his chances of getting more first-team minutes no harm whatsoever with that showing.
We were a little too open at the back at times. I’m going to chalk this down to lack of playing time and lack of cohesion between the lads on the park, but a better side than Hull might actually have made us pay for some of the lapses in concentration. I’m not going to dig specific players out and, in truth, I’m struggling to find too many negatives, but I wasn’t particularly comfortable with some of the passing out from the back and commanding of the penalty area that I saw.
Fofana going off! I know, I know… we have some massive games coming up and Malick Fofana is going to be really important for us, so we need him sharp and ready for what’s to come, but I felt like he was just starting to get going and was finding some joy down that left-hand side before he was brought off. I get all the reasons for why that happened; I just selfishly wanted to see more of him.
Owen Sara says…
What a buy Jules Ahoka looks to be. He was an absolute Rolls Royce tonight. You wouldn’t think he is only 20 and that was only his fifth senior game of his career. It’s been a while since I have seen a debut like that!
Chemsdine Talbi. He proved why he’s our most dangerous winger. I am so glad he is staying, not just for the chant, but he will be such an important asset for us, particularly in Europe. It’d be great if Régis has him down as a ‘finisher’ for the European games. Superbly taken goal tonight, too, and looked lively throughout.
We still look shaky at the back. Particularly with Ellborg and Alderete at the back. Granted, both have had disrupted pre-seasons, but they were both incredibly shaky and we were lucky to get away with a couple of scenarios.
It would have been great for some of the younger lads to get a run out off the bench. As they aren’t in the Europa League squad, tonight was a great chance to give them a decent run out, so I would have liked to see Régis show a bit more faith in Tuterov and Proctor in particular.
David Elliott says…
The new lads and the youngsters all did well. Rigg and Ahoka were strong in the middle of the park, Methalie was quick and aggressive, and covered well when needed. Ta Bi put in a good shift, causing a few problems, particularly in the second half. Tuterov and Proctor acquitted themselves well when they came on. Fofana will be a handful for the opposition once he fully finds his feet. So, lots of promising signs, confirming how well the club is building a decent squad that can cope on multiple fronts.
It was encouraging to see Talbi getting a proper run out. He took full advantage. He has some serious pace and that finish was superb. Hope he is settled and raring to play a full part in the campaign.
Once again, there were a few sloppy moments when playing out from the back. This is something that really needs to be addressed.
Finally, we just don’t seem to be able to kill teams off. For a game we largely controlled, we should be getting that second goal to give us some breathing space.
Malc Dugdale says…
Progress. It was good to move on in the League Cup against fellow Premier League opposition, and to do so with a lot of progress for the second-string squad members cannot be sniffed at either.
This demonstrated that our strength in depth has improved post the summer window, and hopefully many of the newer faces seen today can really contribute across the season. A step on in the cup and a step forward for many who played too.
Strong showings. I thought Ahoka and Ta Bi were very good tonight, and the goal for Talbi was no less than he deserved, especially after the hassle that’s gone on of late about him leaving, then not.
Those three were the standouts for me, and at times Methalie showed some real class down the left, including attacking intent too. I’m not sure Fofana really glowed tonight, but I think with time he has a very high ceiling.
Four or five players there who can be happy with their performances and who may well have given Régis some thinking to do.
More goals. We should have done more with what we created, and this was similar to the Brentford game.
Goals will come, though, and the cheek of Chemsdine to finish as he did was sublime. What a chip.
More fixtures. I really wouldn’t have minded going out, but am sort of happy we didn’t. I want the team to focus on the Premier League and Europe in that order. We don’t need more games, but we can use these games to blood new players and learn about their potential – all good.
