Yesterday’s game felt pivotal. The reality is that another display like we saw at Bournemouth would dial up the pressure on Regis Le Bris right up, and we needed to see a reaction against Leeds.
We’d seen a better display in Poznan, but taking it back into the Premier League was another thing. Thankfully we saw some of the things we were looking for – however we didn’t get the three points we so desperately needed, which means the pressure will be on once more next weekend.
That said, after an understandable
nervy start it was interesting – and very welcome – so see we’d gone ‘back to basics’ and were going to, first and foremost, be hard to break down. It had served us so well last year, it’s been surprising we’ve tried to change the playing style and approach so much.
It makes you wonder where that direction has come from, doesn’t it? Probably a conversation for another day.
Yesterday, thankfully, the effort and commitment were there. That wouldn’t normally be a thing that’s worthy of comment – they should be there at a minimum – but they were evidently missing in our previous two games. Why? Only the players can tell us. However, the ‘hard conversations’ that have apparently been had over the past few days seem to have paid off in that respect.
During the game I was minded to think of Leo Pearlman’s comments in the aftermath of the Bournemouth fixture. We’ve all seen Sunderland time and time again over the years, and usually when there has been something positive we’ve quickly dismantled it, and failed to build on it.
Pearlman stressed that whatever happened in the past is not indictive of what would happen in the future – he was at pains to point out that while the league position may look all-too familiar, the club is completely different behind the scenes.
And look, that’s fine – but none of that matters if the players don’t do the bare minimum.
However, no one could accuse any of the players of not putting a shift in yesterday, and in horrendous conditions we dug in, rode out periods of pressure, and forced the Leeds goalkeeper into a couple of decent saves in a pragmatic display that was far more in line with performances from the 25/26 vintage than anything we’ve seen so far this season.
The caution was understandable – and welcome to some extent – and, as with many games last season, we were waiting to pounce on that one chance that would turn one point into three, a moment we could capitalise on, and for all of the endeavour, it didn’t arrive.
And therein lies the problem, and you do feel for Le Bris and the playing squad in this respect.
We simply don’t have a strong enough attack to consistently cause teams problems. We haven’t been helped, of course, with the injuries to Brobbey and Isidor – Brobbey’s presence was very welcome yesterday, and he certainly improved the attack, albeit he spent most of the game pretty isolated from the rest of the team, but he looked well short of match fitness.
The decisions to put Talbi on ahead of the left winger we moved heaven and earth for, and to put Tutierov on ahead of another summer acquisition – told their own story; as did the fact that no summer signings were among the 15 players who took part in the game.
While I was all for the approach of keeping our best players and adding some quality over the summer, the reality is that none of the players we’ve brought in are at the moment a nailed on first choice. Thomas Meunier is the potential exception, but if everyone’s fit does he get into the starting XI? Maybe, maybe not.
I’m certainly not writing off any of the players we’ve brought in – by their age the likes of Fofana, Methalie, Ahoka and Angulo Mk2 are ones ‘for the future’ – but are they where the thick end of £70m should have gone? I don’t know. Does Danso command a place if everyone’s fit? I don’t think he does.
We could all see a position or two where we needed to get a first choice player in, and it didn’t happen – not much we can do about it now, but it certainly needs addressed in January, financial regulations permitting, of course.
Still, that’s not a problem we can solve anytime soon. It’s a point in the bag – although we came very close to letting another mag snatch all three points at the end – and onto Coventry for a game that, once more, you feel will be another pivotal occasion for both clubs.
A win there will ease the pressure a bit more, settle the nerves and help us look forward – and make no mistake, they’ll be thinking that too.
In between then, of course, we have a League Cup tie against Brentford to look forward to, and you expect we’ll see 11 changes as we rotate the squad once more. It gives the likes of Fofana, Ahoka, Methalie and Angulo the second a chance to get first team minutes under their belts, and you have to say the volume of games is beneficial in that regard – maybe that was part of the thinking all along?
Anyway, the lads who turned out yesterday have redressed the balance a little bit and helped relieve the pressure on the head coach.
If we want to turn to cliches, the are a few to choose from.
We’ve perhaps tried to run before we could truly walk – and we need to get a few consecutive steps in before we can think we’re capable enough of mounting a job.
But, it is a step in the right direction, something to build on. And both of those things are a positive at the moment.
