David Elliott says…
Ta Bi caught the eye from his very first appearance in red and white.
He’s a skilful and tricky winger with a turn of speed and seems to be developing very well in the squad. The rawness we saw at the start is going as he improves his all-round game.
On Wednesday, he was very aware of what was going on around him — his head was up and he was looking to hurt the opposition.
He got slightly lucky when beating El Hadji Malick Diouf for the second goal, but if you don’t try, nothing happens. Once round
the defender, he laid it on a plate for Timur Tutierov and his speed of thought for the third goal was excellent, coupled with a perfect delivery.
I would imagine Régis Le Bris will continue to take it steady with him but must surely recognise that he could be a real thorn in the side for opponents as an impact substitute. He offers a genuine attacking threat and I think in the league, he’ll have more chances from the bench.
Ahoka has rightly had many plaudits and his performances bely his inexperience.
There was a moment on Wednesday where he slipped yet still managed to hold off two Brentford players to get a pass away. He has an assurance and calmness that could be valuable in the rest of the season and at the moment, I think he deserves some minutes from the bench but building towards a start in the not too distant future.
In these two players, we have some serious potential that strengthens the squad in an attacking sense and they could really boost our potency in the final third.
Malc Dugdale says…
I had issues with my Sky TV service so was gutted to miss most of what was a great cup game. However, having watched the extended highlights, I’m really pleased with how the game has potentially contributed so positively to the rest of our season.
I went into the game mentally not giving a crap about what the result was or who played, with the league table as it is and Europe the main focus. I did always hope that it could provide some options to spice up our first eleven and our approach to games, which has been a bit flat at times, although Leeds was better.
That was clearly the case, and then some!
Although I don’t expect them to both hop into the starting eleven at Coventry, if we do need to think about players not playing a full ninety (which will be ideal given we have Dinamo Zagreb and Chelsea in the eight days after Coventry) these lads are great options for the gaffer.
I can see Jocelin Ta Bi starting on the right in the Midlands as it seems we may finally have an option down that side with more flair and attacking output than Thomas Meunier or Trai Hume. He was electric, and with he and Malick Fofana getting hotter each game, our width could be a real problem for sides as these lads gain form and confidence.
Jules Ahoka has been knocking on the head coach’s door more with every appearance, and I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t get at least half an hour at the weekend.
With Granit Xhaka looking a little less effective this season (probably as teams have started to find tactics to neutralise his huge influence), the natural succession needs to start at some time. Ahoka has shown that despite his lack of senior football, he’s more than ready to take on Premier League opponents, as he did with both Hull and Brentford .
We need to take our time and allow these lads to grow and flourish, but after my very low expectations and desires related to that cup game, I’m over the moon with the outcome.
Well done to all involved at the club — hopefully this is a big step towards our elevation up the table, a shot at a semi-final in a cup, and our place in the latter stages of the Europa League, too.
Mark Ryan says…
Early last season, I wasn’t as enthralled with Noah Sadiki as most Sunderland supporters. I thought he was just fine, but didn’t get the hype. It finally clicked for me a month into the year — Sadiki was so omnipresent all over the field that my eyes and brain weren’t registering that all those things were being done by one man.
My experience with Ahoka is pretty much the same.
He’s everywhere. So far, I’ve been most impressed with his ability to chase down and dispossess ball carriers without fouling. I’m also very excited by his willingness and desire to be a part of the attack.
That said, I think we need to pump the brakes on a ‘need’ to get him in the starting lineup in the EPL. Incredibly, on so many levels, he’s played nine total games of senior football and there’s a good argument that Brentford was the best lineup he’s come up against. By comparison, Sadiki, who’s only seventeen months older, has played 187 matches already in his career.
The way Ahoka’s being utilized right now is perfect.
He’s starting and playing ninety minutes virtually every week and getting spot time in the Premier League. He’s anchoring the cup team in a way he’s probably not ready to do yet at the highest level and doing so with less scrutiny and pressure. He’s in a great position with an excellent opportunity for growth, and there’s no need to rush anything.
I think there’s more room and need for Ta Bi in the first eleven right now.
He showed on Wednesday that he can torture a Premier League defender when he wants to, which is something we haven’t really seen from our wingers this year, although Nilson Angulo has shown flashes.
It’s easy to compare him to Amad, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an apt correlation and I think there’s an argument the best deployment of our wingers in the current fixture congestion would be Chemsdine Talbi and Ta Bi in the league and Malick Fofana and Angulo in the cups.
The difference between the duos — at least on current form — is not immense and fits our Europa League roster construction. However, Régis Le Bris requires his wingers to defend and Ta Bi is not a good or particularly eager, defender, so I don’t see the manager trusting him in the Premier League right now.
I think it can work, especially with a defence-first right back like Trai Hume behind him against bottom half sides. I just don’t think Le Bris is ready to take that kind of chance.
Owen Sara says…
I’m very starting to run out of words to describe Jules Ahoka — he just gets better and better!
He hasn’t even played ten games as a senior professional and is already looking the real deal. He has an incredible frame and is incredibly athletic and agile for someone who is 6’5. It’s very easy to see why we took a risk on him even though he only had two senior appearances under his belt.
I think his performances have come at an excellent time, too, with Sunderland getting bodies back and players getting minutes in the tank, too, so Régis Le Bris has a serious headache on his hands.
For me, Ahoka should be in the starting eleven on Saturday but the question is: who comes out of the midfield? Enzo Le Fée is probably our best player at the moment and is undroppable in my eyes. Noah Sadiki is also too important to drop — would we really want to move Le Fée out onto the wing just to fit Ahoka into the eleven?
As for Jocelin Ta Bi, he definitely has to start on Saturday.
He’s impressed during the few cameos he’s had, and he tortured a £40 million defender on Wednesday night. All three goals came down his side, and he was oozing confidence. He’s our only natural inverted right winger; he has very deceptive pace and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we were so much more fluid with two natural inverted wingers.
Young players will only grow with exposure, so there’s no reason he shouldn’t be starting on Saturday, particularly given our obsession with playing full backs on the wing. Trai Hume has played a lot of minutes, and Thomas Meunier is just getting back to fitness, so there’s a perfect opportunity here for Ta Bi to get a run of games.
