Our cup form hardly runneth over
Let’s face it, Sunderland’s cup results over recent years have been desperate, and bowing out of the Carabao Cup in the second round is hardly a shock – even though the Lads had been handed a home match against a club from two divisions lower. You need to go back to January 2023 for the last instance of a victory in any cup competition (Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup) and even further for the most recent League Cup progress, when Queens Park Rangers were seen off after penalties in October 2021. Several
of the ties that have taken place since then would have been classed as ‘winnable’ prior to kick-off, and whilst opinions vary regarding the importance of knockout football these days, the results still don’t make for good reading.
Chalk and cheese
The Stadium of Light has been the subject of national and international focus over the last couple of weeks, with the club’s return to the Premier League and hosting of the Women’s Rugby World Cup opener helping draw tens of thousands of people into the city. Tuesday night couldn’t have been further off in terms of anticipation and excitement, although to be fair the attendance was a lot higher than I had expected. There were some complaints in the buildup about how the club managed sales, and travel arrangements for nighttime games can be difficult for those that do not live locally, but those that could make it did their best to encourage the side and create a bit of atmosphere, so it did feel a bit like a proper event.
Jensons on the button
It is always good when an academy product makes their debut, and when Jones was joined by namesake Seelt it must surely have been the first instance of two Jenson’s playing in the same Sunderland team. Jones did well to get himself involved in the action and Seelt should be commended for coming on and doing a job whilst his future remains up the air, and it is a shame that these types of figures are often the ones to suffer most from the early cup exits, as they don’t get to test themselves at a higher level or remain sharp should they be needed back in the first team.
Two steps forward, one step back
It was nice to see both Nordi Mukiele and Arthur Masuaku making appearances, and the pair both showed positives signs of what to expect when they are fully fit. Their presence gives us real defensive strength in depth, but then came another niggle for Niall Huggins and you have to feel sorry for the lad. ‘Unlucky with injuries’ doesn’t seem to do his situation justice, and surely everybody has their fingers crossed that this latest set back doesn’t turn out to be anything major.
Worrying trends
The number of changes made to the side makes it hard to draw too many parallels with the performance at Burnley, but that is twice in a row now that Sunderland have struggled to respond after going behind. It was an issue at times last season too, and the word is obviously getting out – this squad is not always able to handle it when they are given the majority of possession. Some half time tweaks from Régis Le Bris did help turn things around the Lads were much more proactive in the second half, with Wilson Isidor suggesting he could become a decent wide option, but even then actual attempts on goal were at a premium and it remains the case that playing on the break seems to be the best attacking plan for the time being.
Opponents played their part
League One delaying and spoiling tactics made an unwelcome return to Wearside, but Huddersfield Town did have something about them in all honesty. Loanee Leo Castledine, a Chelsea clubmate of Marc Guiu, hit a lovely opener and their penalties were all top quality – as were most of Sunderland’s for that matter; it is just a shame that those taking them are unlikely to be on the pitch should there be a spot kick against Brentford on Saturday, and that the only person to have one saved had looked decent before that. Milan Aleksic’s cross and Guiu’s header were both excellent, and after pulling themselves level it seemed that the hosts were building up steam ahead of a win, although not the first time in the cup it was not to be.
