What Phil Parkinson told his Sunderland players about the attacking improvements they need to make

Yes, there have been too many games like this for the Black Cats.

Chances not taken, a ruthless edge missing.

Parkinson, though, was also keen to stress that in that good run at the beginning of 2020, there had been games where his side had overwhelmed teams.

Without doubt, though, it was a disappointing result and one that left the Black Cats boss much to ponder.

Sunderland dropped two points on home turf despite dominating possession and delivering more crosses in a game than at any stage in Parkinson's tenure.

25 attempts yielded just one goal and perhaps most alarmingly, only three shots came from Will Grigg, Danny Graham and Charlie Wyke.

An improvement required and particularly when the calibre of opponent is to rise in the coming weeks.

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In five meetings across all competitions, Sunderland have won just once, though that did come in their last meeting, a 1-0 win at the Kassam Stadium thanks to an early headed goal from Jordan Willis.

The Black Cats need a similar result to get their season up and running and ruthlessness in the final third will be key.

Parkinson insists he has the players to do it.

"We went through it with the lads in the early part of the week, in terms of what we need to do better," he said.

"We need to make more of our dominance in terms of our possession and getting in good areas and positions, the areas we've got to hit with our crossing and the calmness and quality we need in our final pass. That's what we need to turn what was a decent performance into a winning one.

"There were a lot of good elements to our play, but a higher percentage of our final ball has got to hit the target and we need to have that return in terms of chances created.

"We did create chances but in terms of the opportunities we had, there should have been even more.

"We went through the final third play, the areas the crosses were going into and the movement in the box.

"We focused on that. We had 25 attempts, we've put 40 crosses into the box but we've got to get a higher percentage of those into the danger area.

"Some of the crosses were excellent and another day we should really have scored three or four goals, so it's a combination of having a bit of calmness in the final third to produce that quality, and also the finish as well," he added.

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"We need to take the good elements of the game and add to it, because as everyone knows, your play in the final third is crucial. But I believe we've got a group of players as capable as anyone in the league of doing that. We'll get better."

Sunderland's equaliser eventually came from the dangerous Denver Hume, his cross into the box half-cleared to the edge of the area where Chris Maguire was ready to strike.

The quality of the finish and the awareness to find that space was a trademark of Sunderland's popular attacking midfielder.

It was also an indication of the delivery Parkinson wants to see more from wide areas.

"It's definitely not a case of not having enough bodies in the box," Parkinson said.

"We committed a lot of players in throughout the game, Max is joining in from his side and Chris from his, we always encourage the wing-backs to get into the box and we obviously had two strikers.

"One of the things we looked at, was that goals often come from crosses into that second six-yard box, and too many times we're almost trying to hit the player rather putting it into that corridor of uncertainty where goals come from.

"There were some very, very good crosses but we all agreed that not a big enough % of those crosses led to chances," he added.

"There were other times, too, where the calmness of that final pass just needed to be better. That's about putting demands on ourselves, and making sure that when we get those opportunities, we're clinical."

Parkinson will be aware, too, that Sunderland's late rally and period of dominance coincided with a switch to a 4-4-2 system.

In particular, the presence of Lynden Gooch brought an extra attacking threat and was instrumental in the build-up to Maguire's goal.

It leaves Parkinson with a number of selection dilemmas as he looks to deliver a much-needed win.

The make-up of his forward line will be the subject of much debate, though it is not clear whether Danny Graham is yet ready to play a full 90 minutes folllowing his late arrival this summer.

Parkinson also has to decide who will replace George Dobson in central midfield.

Grant Leadbitter and Josh Scowen are the obvious candidates, providing they are available for selection.

Despite his defence of his team's performance last weekend, the Black Cats boss concedes three points at Oxford is key.

"The start of the season, the first four, five, six games are very important and we want to make sure we're right up at the top of the table,” he said.

"Saturday is very important for us."

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