Phil Smith's Sunderland AFC verdict: Making sense of what's gone wrong and what needs to change

For the first time this season, frustration at defeat tipped into something a little deeper.

There were threads of this setback that were familiar, and yet there was a general lethargy about Sunderland's performance that has alarmed many. Back-to-back defeats have opened up a gap to the play-off places and while the campaign is still young and that gap clearly more than bridgeable, the fixtures this month are undeniably challenging and more performances of this standard will leave a huge amount of work to be done in the second half of the season.

The familiar of this defeat? A result that once again was defined by a lack of ruthlessness from this Sunderland side, who once again dominated the ball, entered the final third regularly and had considerably more shots. Sunderland registered an XG of 2.19 on Wednesday night, compared to Huddersfield Town's 1.27.

Remarkably, of their eight Championship defeats this season, they have only twice had a worse XG than that of their opponent. One of those was the defeat to Middlesbrough in which they played 45 minutes with ten men, the other a narrow loss to Leicester City in which they went toe-to-toe with the best side in the division. Sunderland's aim to improve and grasp better control and dominance of their games this season is working, and yet this will forever be a sport defined by what happens in both boxes and on that front, this team right now is quite clearly not where it needs to be.

Too often this season, Sunderland have not done enough with their dominance and allowed their opposition to do far too much with their limited forays into the final third. The two goals Huddersfield scored on Wednesday night embodied that, the second one 'ridiculous' in the words of Tony Mowbray. You were left with the strong sense that privately, he might have been less generous.

That goal underlined the passivity of Sunderland's performance, an altogether new and more concerning theme. It would be remiss to put this defeat down solely to misfortune and poor finishing, because it was clearly more than that.

From the off, it was Huddersfield who had the better of the chances even as Sunderland dominated the ball. Indecision at the back almost allowed Delano Burgzorg to nip in and score with barely a minute on the clock, before only superb goalkeeping from Anthony Patterson prevented the opener a couple of minutes later.

Sunderland lacked creativity in this game but most worryingly, they lacked any level of intensity. Huddersfield deployed a familiar tactic at this stadium, sitting off in a midblock and then pressing aggressively in midfield. From there they were direct and purposeful, and Sunderland's looseness in possession played straight into their hands. It was clear from the outset that Sorba Thomas' set plays would provide their main attacking outlet, and one of Mowbray's key frustrations was that the Black Cats gave him so many opportunities to deliver.

Of equal concern was that Sunderland found themselves unable to forge many clear chances even in the latter stages as Huddersfield retreated almost completely into their own box. With Jack Clarke having a rare off night where nothing seemed to come off for him, the clear openings were few and far between.

Mowbray had freshened up his side for this game, making the apparent lack of energy all the more alarming. They were changes that most would have made, with Adil Aouchiche and Eliezer Mayenda both earning their first starts after lively cameos in a losing cause at Plymouth. Jenson Seelt coming into the side for Niall Huggins was more of a surprise, but Huggins has already played more football this season than anyone had anticipated and that needs to be managed given the intensity of the schedule this month. His dynamism was glaringly absent in a performance where Sunderland were too sluggish, too ponderous. This was a chance for other players but come Saturday it seems highly likely that both Huggins and Pierre Ekwah will be back.

The wait for a goal from a striker goes on and most concerning, this was another night in which they struggled to forge chances, too. Sunderland ended the game with two centre forwards on the pitch and yet they could only manage two shots between them, neither of which threatened the goal. Mayenda showed flashes of his obvious talent throughout his full debut but ended with only two shots of his own, neither of which were from close range or particularly promising positions.

While there will inevitably and understandably be scrutiny on Mowbray after a performance in which the team in general was well off the required pace, it was another game in which the experience and guile of the opposition defence and midfield was superior in the penalty box. Even in a poor display there were still multiple moments where Clarke and Roberts put dangerous deliveries into the box, but invariably it was Huddersfield that were first to it.

It's an inevitable part of the process for these young players making their way in the game, and there are times when Sunderland's fearlessness and vibrancy are their biggest weapon, but equally there are times when their inexperience is showing. They are a good side and are repeatedly showing they can compete with any team in this division, but as it stands they are not ruthless enough in either box to be considered a clear promotion contender. With the strength of the division clearly greater this season, that can't be anything other than a concern.

Saturday's trip to Millwall now stands as arguably the first real pressure point of the season, with a need for a strong response to what was undoubtedly the most disappointing performance of the season so far. 

Mowbray faces another tricky call up front, where increasingly it is clear that it is going to be a long-term process of time and training-ground work to fix the recurring issues. Or, a change in personnel during the January window. What Mowbray can do in the interim is spark a response from his players, who in fairness have rarely dipped to a general level as low as this in the last fifteen months.