I watched Sunderland's dramatic draw at Millwall and here are four key conclusions I drew
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Sunderland were held to a 1-1 draw at The Den on Saturday after Femi Azeez’s stoppage-time goal.
Phil Smith was there reporting on the game and here are four key Sunderland conclusions he drew….
A GOOD POINT… SORT OF
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Hide AdAs far as earning a credible draw away at a notoriously tricky opponent goes, this was just about the worst way to do it.
Sunderland looked to have ridden the worst of a severe storm of pressure through the second half, conceding in the 93rd minute and a matter of moments after Milan Aleksic had run clean through on goal.
The club’s long list of absentees, which had grown only further in the build up as a result of an injury to Dennis Cirkin, meant that most supporters would have very happily settled for a 1-1 scoreline before kick off. Now it inevitably felt like a defeat and two points dropped.
The frustration was all the more acute given that Femi Azeez’s goal made it four games without a win for Sunderland (although the unbeaten run has also extended), and another winning position squandered.
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Hide AdBut even accounting for the manner of Millwall’s equaliser, this was quite clearly the best result of that four-game sequence in isolation. It was a Sunderland side with new partnerships and players operating out of their most natural position just about everywhere you looked, and before the lengthy stoppage near the end of the first half they were almost completely dominant. Millwall registered just one shot with an expected-goals value of 0.03 in the first 45 minutes, a reflection of just how well Sunderland had played.
There was inevitably a strong reaction from Millwall in the second half as Neil Harris threw on more and more attacking players (a luxury Le Bris didn’t really have), and even then Sunderland still forged a couple of very good opportunities on the break.
There was frustration that Sunderland had dropped deeper in the second half, though that was in part to the way Millwall pinned them in. Le Bris said afterwards that his side had not been good enough in second ball situations, where he felt there were big opportunities to play through an increasingly open opponent. If there is one genuine weakness in this Sunderland side this appears to be it, where games away from home can quickly get away from them as struggle to learn when is the right time to get their foot on the ball to slow the contest down and gain some control, and when is the right time to launch a break and exploit those gaps.
There is a lot to learn for this side and they are clearly a long way from being the finished article, but this was ultimately a point gained in the context of their campaign. It’s also true that it has raised the pressure somewhat ahead of two very tricky games this week.
LE BRIS GAINS SOME WELCOME DEPTH
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Hide AdThere were two very clear positives for Le Bris coming away from the game, once the disappointment of Millwall’s late goal had settled.
One was the performance of Aji Alese, who was terrific on his unexpectedly swift return to the starting XI. Alese was defensively robust and despite having played little with Tommy Watson, combined nicely with the youngster at times in the first half to open up some real opportunities. It was a strong individual performance even before you consider that he had not kicked a ball in any competitive football since August.
Sunderland will want Dennis Cirkin back sooner rather than later to ensure they can manage Alese’s workload carefully, because keeping him fit is clearly the key challenge moving forward.
The other positive was that Le Bris has gained some new options moving forward. Aaron Connolly and Wilson Isidor can clearly play together when required moving forward, and most notable was a lively performance from Eliezer Mayenda on the right flank. With Ian Poveda struggling to find full fitness, it’s important that Sunderland have an alternative to Patrick Roberts and fresh legs for the latter stages of games. Mayenda’s emergence as an option on the right is doubly important in the context of Romaine Mundle’s absence, because it frees Tommy Watson to operate in his strongest position more regularly. Mayenda deserves more minutes after starting the season so well and with the emergence of Isidor, this might be his best route in.
A STEADY DEBUT DESPITE THAT MISS
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Hide AdHalf an hour to play, defending a lead in an increasingly fevered atmosphere and with your team camped deep in their own half. To say this was a challenging environment for a 19-year-old attacking midfielder to make their debut would be an understatement.
So it’s important to step back from Milan Aleksic’s crucial late miss (itself created by a clever run in behind) and take some positives from the Serbian’s introduction. He played one excellent switch to open up a promising break, showed some nice touches and most importantly seemed to understand his defensive responsibilities. Physically he also looks like he is going to have no issues at Championship level, with pace and strength. It’s going to be a lengthy adaptation period for Aleksic but the evidence here was that he can be trusted off the bench when required.
AN OPPORTUNITY MISSED FOR DUO
It has been a frustrating campaign for Leo Hjelde and Nazariy Rusyn so far, both of whom have struggled for league minutes even if Hjelde in particular is rated highly by Le Bris.
Both might well have had decent cameos from the bench given the lengthy list of absentees here, but were both absent from the squad due to injury. Hjelde did actually travel with the team and Le Bris said afterwards that neither has a serious problem, but it will feel like an opportunity missed for both as key players begin to return from injury and suspension in the coming weeks.
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