Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's defeat to QPR and these were my key conclusions

Sunderland’s poor form continued on the final day of the regular season as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against QPR at the Stadium of Light.

Nicolas Madsen’s first-half goal proved to be the difference between the two teams in what was another laboured attacking display from the Black Cats.

Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and these were his key conclusions…

Sunderland’s attacking leaves you anxious for the play-off test ahead

Those who stayed for the lap of appreciation after this game gave the players a rousing send-off as they headed down the tunnel. Perhaps this will prove to be a precursor for the days ahead, where everyone is able to turn the page on these bizarre few weeks and head into those play-off games with a new optimism.

Right now, though, optimism will have to be built not on what Sunderland are doing now or recently but what they produced a good couple of months ago. Despite playing pretty much their strongest team for the last two games, a longer-term trend of struggling to create chances and play with fluidity and rhythm has continued.

This was another afternoon where the opposition goalkeeper had little to do, with Sunderland showing a lack of conviction in attacking the box and a lack of tempo in their build-up play. Add the recent habit of conceding a sloppy early goal and you find a team that right now does not have the right set up to win games. Attacking players are out of form and look short on confidence.

Sunderland’s head coach has remained absolutely insistent that none of this will matter when the play-offs roll around. That the style of games will suit Sunderland better, as shown by their strong performances against the likes of Burnley and Sheffield United over the course of the season. That the intensity of the games and their high-stakes nature will see Sunderland lift their level both in and out of possession.

We know that Sunderland are capable of reaching the level required not just to compete but to win these play-offs, but you can forgive any fan that feels a little pessimistic right now given what they have endured for the last six weeks.

Le Bris’s confidence that the strategy will pay off doesn’t appear to have wavered even for a second over recent weeks, and fans will hope that his belief in his players ability to step up when it really counts pays off.

Enzo Le Fée dilemma continues

Games like this demonstrate the downside of Le Fée being deployed as a winger. His creativity and vision is missed in the middle of the park where Sunderland are having a lot of possession, and the lack of space against a low block means he’s often facing up to a 1-v-1 duel against the opposition full back. That is exactly how Jimmy Dunne would have wanted it yesterday and the QPR full back had an excellent game.

No one would argue that this is the best use of the talented midfielder but the issue is that Le Bris would be taking a huge risk in playing Romaine Mundle from the start in that first leg after another spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury. It’s also likely to be a very different game at the Ricoh Arena, where Sunderland will be playing on the counter a lot more and where Le Fée’s ability to play long passes from deep and to win fouls to ease pressure will be a big factor.

It would be a surprise if Le Bris changed course for that first leg but if Sunderland are chasing the game at home, a bolder approach with both the AS Roma loanee and Mundle may well be required.

Dan Ballard gives Le Bris a big decision to make for the play-offs

If you were looking for positives from a Sunderland perspective on Saturday then you’d have largely been very disappointed, but an assured return from a hamstring injury for Ballard was definitely one. He actually proved to be Sunderland’s biggest goal threat in the last ten minutes and while that is most definitely not a great reflection of the team’s performance, it did show how we can offer something different from set pieces and in the latter stages of games. Most importantly, he moved well and didn’t look to be in any trouble when making recovery runs and battling with the opposition forwards.

Le Bris said on Saturday that he expected Ballard to be in contention to start in that first leg and there was nothing here to suggest that will not be the case. It’ll be a tricky decision for Le Bris, Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien have been outstanding in terms of their consistency and availability this season and either would rightly be aggrieved to miss out. Ballard, though, has defensive attributes that the head coach might find it hard to ignore in a game of this magnitude.

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