TNT Sports pundit and Crystal Palace legend slams Sunderland defending with blunt Premier League warning
Joel Ward questioned Sunderland’s defensive organisation and finishing after their draw at Lech Poznań, warning that Premier League opponents would punish similar mistakes
Joel Ward has warned that Sunderland are making it too easy for opponents to create chances, questioning their defensive organisation after the 1-1 draw at Lech Poznań.
The former Crystal Palace defender highlighted recovery runs, gaps between the lines and a decline in the defensive discipline that served Sunderland well last season. Ward also suggested the opportunities conceded in Poland would bring greater punishment in the Premier League, where Régis Le Bris’ side sit bottom ahead of Sunday’s visit of Leeds United.
Too easy to create chances
Asked what Sunderland could learn before returning to domestic action, Ward delivered a blunt assessment of their defending. “They do. I think there's a lot of lessons to be learned. I think, for me, they conceded far too many chances.
“We've only seen, you know, a few snippets there of chances that Lech Poznań have had, and, you know, we were talking about the first half. If they concede those in the Premier League, the quality in the Premier League and the teams that you're coming up against, you get punished for that, and I think that's why, you know, they are where they are.
“We speak about the basics. We speak about being compact and being hard to beat. That's what they were last season. This season, though, they've fallen short on that, and you can see some of their recovery runs. You can see some of the distances between the lines. It seems like it's just too easy for teams to, you know, create things against Sunderland right now.”
Robin Roefs made saves to preserve Sunderland’s point after the hosts cancelled out Timur Tutierov’s opener. The result maintained their unbeaten European start, but Ward felt the performance exposed familiar weaknesses.
End product also questioned
Ward also criticised Sunderland’s response to the corner that produced Poznań’s equaliser, identifying uncertainty over who should close down the shot.
“And I think there's a little mix-up of who's going to go down and close the ball. When you've got so many bodies in front of you, it's so hard for the keeper to see the strike and where that ball is going. You can't see anything there. You're too late to react. It's a great strike, it's a great finish through the bodies, and I think they deserve to get back into the game with the chances that they created.
“But, like Karen was saying, Sunderland had so many chances, but I think we spoke before the game that their end product, not just in this competition, but in the Premier League especially, just hasn't quite been good enough. I think that's where they're missing, and not taking those chances that they get.”
Sunderland finished the evening with seven points from three Europa League fixtures, having beaten AZ Alkmaar and Torreense before travelling to Poland. Their attention now turns to Leeds, with Le Bris looking to end a run of four successive Premier League defeats and improve a return of four points from seven matches.
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