Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's frustrating draw with Plymouth and here are four conclusions I drew

Sunderland were held to a 2-2 draw against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon.

Phil Smith was at the Stadium of Light reporting for The Echo and here are his key conclusions from the game...

SUNDERLAND GOT THIS ONE WRONG FROM START TO FINISH

Afterwards, Régis Le Bris said that he had anticipated a reaction from Plymouth after following their 5-0 defeat to Burnley on home turf. He had expected them to be more aggressive, more organised, more committed. Anticipating this kind of resolute defensive display made his decision to hand Salis Abdul Samed his first start a curious one. There have been many games in recent times where you have felt that Sunderland would have benefited from an orthodox holding midfielder but this was not one of them. Against Plymouth's low block, it actually might well have been a game where Dan Neil's creativity from deep might have been particularly useful. The end result was that Wilson Isidor was badly isolated throughout the first half, and Sunderland found it unusually difficult to create shooting opportunities from inside the box.

Resting Chris Rigg was a more understandable decision, with the youngster always likely to experience some fatigue over the course of his first full campaign. Sunderland need him fresh for the run in, and Patrick Roberts was a ready-made replacement.

Le Bris explained afterwards that he needs to create a bigger pool of players ready to start games and impact them from the bench for the final stretch of the season, and that the only way to do this is to get them out on the pitch and experiencing the rigours of Championship football. Given how stretched Sunderland have been at times this season, and how much they have struggled to change games from the bench, it's hard to argue with his end goal. It should also be said that even when Le Bris changed system in the second half, it made little difference and Sunderland arguably got worse. As had actually been the case against Portsmouth earlier in the year, the two up top left space in midfield that allowed the visitors a route into the game.

What's clear is that regardless of set up or formation, Sunderland as a team simply failed to find the level of intensity and precision they needed to win the game and it's a harsh lesson for a dressing room that has done so well this season.

From first whistle to last, and we probably have to include the team selection in that, Sunderland failed to get to grips with the challenge in front of them. Though Plymouth's attacking approach in the first half was limited, they grew into the game and by the end there was no doubt that they deserved their point. Their XG over the course of the game was 0.96 compared to Sunderland's 0.58. Did the Black Cats underestimate Plymouth? We'll never know for sure, but it felt that way. And the consequences will be significant.

DON'T WRITE SAMED OFF BASED ON THIS GAME

Perhaps this wasn't the best game to show what Samed can bring to the squad, though the chaos that unfolded after his departure was a reminder of the value that a strong defensive midfielder can bring. Just days earlier, he had played an important part in helping Sunderland to see out the game against Derby County and that may well have been one of the reasons why Le Bris was convinced to hand him his first start.

With difficult away games coming up at Middlesbrough and Leeds United, there could be a hugely important role for the 24-year-old. That's why Le Bris said after the game that while he could understand the frustration fans were feeling, he still felt it was a decision that could have a positive impact in the long run.

LATE GOALS CONTINUE TO BE SUNDERLAND'S ACHILLES HEEL

Sunderland's habit of conceding late goals could prove to be the difference between the top two and the play-offs.

Earlier in the campaign, Le Bris admitted that he had been struggling to get to the root of the problem because the types of goals Sunderland were conceding were varying. The one theory that he did suspect had some merit was that it was a consequence of the opposition having a bigger pool of players and thus more options from the bench. In short, it was something of a fatigue and momentum issue.

Sunderland named a pretty strong bench yesterday, and so this shouldn't really be an issue in the way that it once was. Le Bris's understandable frustration on this occasion was that he felt he had more than enough defensive quality on the pitch to deal with Plymouth's direct approach in the closing stages, with numerous opportunities missed to clear the lines before Ogbeta's excellent finish. Le Bris said it was an issue that he would review in the weeks ahead. If Sunderland are finding it difficult to defend their box against increasingly direct teams, then perhaps a more proactive approach represents the solution? It has to be worth considering at this stage.

ISIDOR DRAWS A LINE UNDER A DIFFICULT WEEK

While Sunderland remain eager to add another forward to their ranks before the end of the January window, it was important that Wilson Isidor was able to draw a line under a difficult week by scoring in this game. It was another superb, first-time finish and his habit of scoring difficult goals is a very useful one to have in the ranks. After the penalty drama at Turf Moor and the frustration of his disallowed goal at Derby, he can move forward now into the closing weeks of the campaign full of confidence. That, and another enterprising first-half display from Enzo Le Fee, were probably the key positives from an otherwise frustrating day.