Phil Smith: I watched Sunderland's disappointing defeat at West Ham and these were my key conclusions

Sunderland were deservedly beaten at the London Stadium as three first-half goals set West Ham United on their way to a comfortable 3-1 win.

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

Nothing goes right for Sunderland in dire first half

Was this a 45 minutes to leave you worried about Sunderland’s prospects for the rest of the campaign, or one just so unusually bad that you can almost write it off as an exception? You can make a solid argument for both.

Granit Xhaka is set to be absent for at least a fortnight and this first half suggested, as you would expect given his quality, that Sunderland will be a poorer side in his absence. You could also argue that even with Xhaka in the side, Sunderland have had some major wobbles on the road over the last couple of the months. They were overrun in a similar fashion by Brentford at the turn of the year and days previous had been fortunate to get to half time only one down at Spurs, rallying to land what was in the end a very good point.

On the other hand, there were so many poor individual performances in this first half from players who have been so solid and consistent almost every other week this season. This is a team that has bounced back from every league defeat so far this season with a win, and most who laboured yesterday have shown they have the personality to bounce back. This was Trai Hume’s worst performance of the season in and out of possession, while the normally exceptional Reinildo had a torrid first half against Jarrod Bowen and was very fortunate not to be sent off before he was withdrawn by Régis Le Bris at half time.

Will Sunderland react when Burnley visit the Stadium of Light next Monday? The evidence of this season suggests they will. The evidence of the last 18 months also suggests that Le Bris will himself quickly learn the lessons of a game plan that badly misfired here. It’s easy to rewrite history after the event, so let’s be fair and point out that this same shape delivered an excellent result against Manchester City and that for the opening 10 minutes, Sunderland were on the front foot and looked like they could get at West Ham United. It’s equally true that without Chaka’s quality and experience, Sunderland’s midfield looked badly underpowered. Le Bris was let down by his players on this occasion but equally, it was hard to argue he had given them the best platform to succeed.

West Ham United play very well

Any analysis of this game should also recognise that under a proven manager at the level, West Ham have clicked into a positive system that gets the best of their individuals. Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville are two very impressive wingers, while Mateus Fernandes is beginning to deliver on his club’s £40 million investment. Up front, Nuno is benefiting from an investment of around £50 million in a new strike pairing. Sunderland were poor, but West Ham were genuinely very good.

Should we expect better from Sunderland? Absolutely. We also shouldn’t forget that they are still firmly punching above their weight at this level.

Lutsharel Geertruida exclusion raises eyebrows

After some solid cameos over the course of the Africa Cup of Nations period, most would have identified Geertruida as the most likely alternative if Xhaka were to pick up an injury. So it was a surprise that the Dutch international instead topped up his match fitness in the U21s last week, missing out in the starting XI at the London Stadium. While the decision to go with Habib Diarra’s energy and drive at half time made sense, perhaps most surprising that Geertruida did not come on at right back when Le Bris opted to bring off Nordi Mukiele. That’s no slight on Luke O’Nien, who showed at Everton that he was ready for game time, but right back is said to be Geertruida’s strongest position and its the role in which he really broke through as a title winner at Feyenoord.

Geertruida has been a brilliant loan addition, dependable in a number of different roles and positions. That makes signing him on a permanent deal not far off a no brainer from a Sunderland perspective. The player, though, might be wondering where he fits into the picture in the long run.

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Sunderland’s away form emerges as clear area for improvement

Sunderland have been sensational at the Stadium of Light this season, but they are struggling to build an identity away from home. There have been flashes where they have shown they can compete and control possession, in the second half here, at Everton in the FA Cup and in a solid first hour at Brighton. The intensity just doesn’t seem to be there on the road, though, and it’s costing the Black Cats.

Some perspective is required, of course. Every Premier League team finds it tough on the road and particularly those who have just been promoted: Leeds and Burnley have just six and three points on the road respectively so far this season. Had Sunderland turned just one of their four away draws into a win, then they’d be in the top half of the away table this season. No need for panic, then. What will have Sunderland concerned is that they have scored just six goals on the road so far this season; only Wolves have a worse record. There’s huge room for improvement and that will be a key task for Le Bris moving forward. Some of the responsibility will also fall to Florent Ghisolfi and his recruitment team - it’s clear that the final third is an area of the pitch where the club will need to keep investing heavily over the next few transfer windows.

Habib Diarra the clear positive on tough day for Sunderland

Let’s end on a positive and Diarra’s second-half performance was certainly that. A shift in formation helped Sunderland, Noah Sadiki dropping a little bit deeper to help his team get on the ball and up the pitch. They didn’t create lots of chances in the second half but they were far better, and Diarra was integral to that. Diarra brought energy, personality and a little bit of quality with his pass instrumental to Brian Brobbey’s goal.

At this stage of the season, he really is like a new signing and don’t bet against him forcing his way into the starting XI for Burnley’s visit.

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