Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC verdict: The concerning trends that have to be addressed after latest frustration

Michael Beale insisted that his Sunderland side were worthy of something from this game and it was true they had their moments.

One big moment, in particular. A loose pass from Ipswich Town goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky allowed the visitors to pounce and though he was put under pressure from the recovering defenders, it was a golden opportunity for Adil Aouchiche to hit the target. He couldn't do so.

If it goes in, then perhaps you are well on your way to praising a strong away performance and a massive victory in the race for the top six. In which Sunderland had for the main defended resolutely, and found occasional moments of their own to threaten. It can be a game of fine margins, and instead the sense that Sunderland's campaign is slowing rather than building momentum grows. It was Aouchiche who then gave away the free kick from which Ipswich scored their winner, and Beale was critical of the Frenchman's 'naivety' and decision making in the aftermath of the game. It had been a surprise call from Beale to introduce the attacking midfielder on the right flank early in the second half, after Abdoullah Ba had up until that point fully justified his recall to the starting XI.

Sunderland could have taken something from this game as their head coach said, but that didn't mean that Ipswich were not deserving of their win. Most alarming from a Sunderland perspective was their complete control over the closing stages of the game. The onus was on the Black Cats to make the running and yet Hladky was barely tested in a dispiriting passage of play, with all the significant openings coming at the other end. By this point there were two strikers on the pitch but neither had been given much time to make an impression, much to the chagrin of the away end. 'We want a striker' boomed out loud towards the dugout after Conor Chaplin's winner, reflecting another afternoon in which Sunderland's lack of presence in the final third was all too obvious.

Defeat at Portman Road is no great shame in isolation, they are an excellent side who even not at their best showed much of what has underpinned their charge to the upper reaches of the Championship table. The structure out of possession that forces mistakes, and the fluidity on the ball that can unlock defences. That two of their best chances fell to their right-sided centre back breaking into the box from open play was testament to their quality, but their head coach also spoke afterwards of the significant challenges they are facing. Their first-choice striker missing, one of their established central defenders and both of their usual midfield pairing. A run of five league games without a win also meant that confidence was slightly brittle, and a passive second-half display from Sunderland was particularly disappointing in that context.

The frustration for Sunderland supporters is that despite dispensing with a popular head coach, few of the issues that were stalling the team's progress show any sign of abating and the decision to drop Nazariy Rusyn to the bench seemed to sum it up. Beale's time on the training ground has still up until this point been very limited, and so judgement on the early days of his tenure should be measured in that context. And for every frustration in the early weeks, the meek derby display and the implosion against Coventry, there have been some positives. A strong win away at Hull City, a well-managed and pleasingly routine win against Preston North End. A return of 1.4 points-per-game so far is solid if not spectacular, considering some of the fixtures have been tough ones.

There are some undeniably concerning trends, all the same. Though the organisation of the side has looked OK in the main, the individual errors have not been eradicated and going forward, Sunderland are undoubtedly labouring. The stats bear that out, with Wyscout's expected-goals model showing that in the last five games, the team's average has dipped from 1.71 to 1.14. Defensively there has been little improvement, with their average expected-goals against jumping slightly from 1.2 to 1.3 per game. The chronic reliance on Jack Clarke for goals, particularly away from home, is only becoming more acute.

Still within striking distance of the stop six, everything is still to play for this season if time on the training ground can allow Sunderland to start addressing their issues in the opposition box. They also still have a fortnight of the January transfer window to give Beale some much needed support, not just up front but in central midfield, where the ongoing absence of a natural holding midfielder continues to harm the balance of the side.

Sunderland can still make this a successful season but the most alarming thing about recent weeks is that the feel good factor and sense of fun that inspired the unlikely charge up the table last time around is starting to ebb away. A part of that is the hangover from the derby-day debacle, but much of it is a response to the increasingly diminished returns from a side who were a joy to watch even if the killer instinct was clearly lacking.

To this point, there has been little to suggest that Sunderland's hierarchy have sparked an upturn in the club's fortunes with their major decisions since the summer and most specifically in recent weeks. There is much to do, if this campaign is to end in the play-off position that all had hoped for.