Tuesday night’s cup win over Hull City was a surprisingly enjoyable affair – and by this I mean that it’s been much too long since I actually saw Sunderland win a League Cup game.
Having lost the last five League Cup ties we’d played, Sunderland fans would be forgiven for expecting little more than a reversion to the norm. However, Régis Le Bris’ barmy army eventually overcame a defiant Hull and made it to the fourth round for the first time since 2021.
The game itself, on the face of it, was nothing
incredibly special and the BBC dismissed it – and especially the first half – as containing “little excitement”.
Dismissive and reductive reports on Sunderland performances aren’t rare and it often feels like we’re either forgotten or downtrodden until something exciting (like the small matter of European qualification) happens.
However, a deeper discussion reveals that there’s more to be excited about.
Le Bris’ team selection was exciting from the off and, having told us just last week that “It’s rare to play with two wingers” nowadays, the gaffer decided to field three of them in his starting eleven, and a lineup of Malick Fofana, Wilson Isidor, Chris Rigg, Jocelin Ta Bi and (not confusingly at all) Chemsdine Talbi was a naturally attacking one.
This symbolised something of a departure for Le Bris, as more conservative lineups have been a fan expectation of late, with Trai Hume playing as a winger and wing-back simultaneously. The system has largely seen Sunderland adopt a kind of 4-3-3/4-2-1-2-1 on the ball before reverting to five at the back off it. However, Tuesday night saw movement away from this.
Cup tactics obviously do allow for teams to play more freely, so we likely shouldn’t expect this every week, yet watching Sunderland’s attacking intent from the off was refreshing.
Talbi and Fofana linked up well, especially in the second half, and it was great to watch the interchangeability between the two, with Talbi often drifting wide from his central position whilst Fofana angled in.
In my opinion, this helped get the best out of playing the two wide men; it also meant that Talbi provided width when needed whilst allowing Fofana that freedom to roam inside.
“Freedom” is probably the key word here.
Sunderland are a well-disciplined side, especially in the league, and it was therefore good to see each player encouraged to play to his strengths. Whilst it didn’t quite tie up neatly in the first half, a much more coherent performance in the second saw a more focused threat, with Sunderland coming close on numerous occasions and looking threatening in and around the box with some excellent link-up play.
The attacking intent also saw us get some of the squad set out their stalls as they vie for future selection.
Rigg – playing in a slightly deeper central midfield role than usual – carried the ball forward really well and looked comfortable in the engine room. He provided a brilliant connection between the attacking third and the defensive one, linking play between the two well, especially when he grew into the game in the second half.
However, if Rigg looked good, Jules Ahoka was on a different level.
Playing his first game for Sunderland and only his fifth professional game ever, Ahoka looked as if he’d been playing at this level for years – smooth and confident, not to mention strong and dominant in the midfield. He barely put a foot wrong, which is something very alien for a twenty-year-old.
Ahoka’s performance was exciting, but it also answered some burning questions.
Even before the Chelsea debacle this summer, there were whispers about how Sunderland would protect Granit Xhaka. Although ageing like a fine wine, Xhaka will not play every game and many fans and pundits were questioning how Sunderland would address this issue.
The Congolese midfielder will have answered that query for many on Tuesday night, and although we’re yet to see his true best, the ceiling is high and Ahoka gave us a glimpse of what we can expect.
He also seems to have provided a potential answer to the aforementioned Xhaka question, providing potential but looking like a solid replacement to call upon when the skipper isn’t available.
The final takeaway is perhaps the simplest. Sunderland won. Hardly ground-breaking, admittedly, but they beat a well-organised side that hadn’t yet conceded a goal this season, let alone lost a game.
Once again, it’s important to caveat this with the fact that it was a cup game, so there’ll be differences with league form, performance and team selections. But Hull still looked well-organised and provided a challenge. Sunderland did well to weather and overcome that challenge.
Although there are some things to work on, our relative bluntness in front of goal is something of a concern, but it was positive to see the team throw themselves relentlessly at the challenge. It’s also important to remember that some of these players had either not started a game recently or hadn’t played for the Sunderland first team at all.
A more attacking side also provided an alternative from Sunderland’s slightly more conservative norm, and the attacking intent proved we could play in a different way and looked comfortable in doing so.
There wasn’t a discernible lack of defensive quality with this more offensive game plan, either. This will give the fans a boost and, although it’s unlikely that Le Bris will change his continued league approach, it also shows Sunderland can change their approach when necessary.
Overall, the victory over Hull was overwhelmingly positive.
Groundbreaking? Hardly. But it provided plenty of things to be hopeful about. From attacking potential to a display of squad depth, there’s plenty to feel good about as we progress through the season and build up to the excitement of European football.
