Is Jobe Bellingham coming back to Sunderland?
Ashley Williams praised Sunderland’s bravery and tactical intelligence – including their use of long throws – after Régis Le Bris’ side stunned Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
Ashley Williams has praised Sunderland’s tactical discipline, physicality and ingenuity after their stunning 2–1 victory at Stamford Bridge – highlighting how Régis Le Bris’ side “dominated without the ball” and cleverly exploited Chelsea’s weakness from long throws.
Speaking on Match of the Day, the former Wales and Swansea captain was full of admiration for Sunderland’s fearlessness and execution against one of the Premier League’s biggest spenders. “They were very good today. I think they had the right attitude. They weren’t overwhelmed,” Williams said. “Forget that possession stat – they dominated without the ball. Physically, they were strong and went to Stamford Bridge full of confidence.”
Williams praised Sunderland’s compact 5-4-1 shape and high-tempo pressing, which stopped Chelsea from finding rhythm: “They want to put pressure on Chelsea. They force early mistakes. Dan Ballard, who was excellent all afternoon, stepped into midfield calmly and wanted the ball again. When Chelsea do get possession, they fall back into that 5-4-1 shape, but it’s not passive. As soon as the ball goes back, they’re pressing again. They win it back and go forward with energy.”
He also singled out several individuals, including Ballard, veteran midfielder Granit Xhaka, and full-back Reinildo, for their composure and intensity. “Xhaka was brilliant today – full of running, a little bit of skill, and unlucky not to score,” he said.
The former defender also drew attention to Sunderland’s effectiveness from set plays, particularly the long throws from Nordi Mukiele that have become a surprising weapon. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca had commented before the game that his team would not use the long throw, but Sunderland made full use of the tactic.
“He might not want to use long throws, but Sunderland didn’t care at all,” Williams said. “This is Mukiele, and we’ve just highlighted Traore and Neto. Neto’s job is to do the edge of the box, the second ball, not the first one – and they’re actually trying to throw it so it lands in that space we’ve highlighted.
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“As we run it on here, you can see Neto just switches off, he looks at the ball for a second, Traore doesn’t, he follows it in. It’s a little bit of ping-pong, and it ends up in a goal. But you can see, it’s not the first throw-in, it’s not the first contact that’s going to score you the goal with these long throw-ins – it’s the second ball, where’s it going to land? When you’ve got attacking-minded players doing defensive jobs, it’s always a problem. You might be better off putting a Cucurella or a Reece James on the edge of the box. Isidor gets his goal, and the long throw pays off again.”
Williams finished by praising Sunderland’s late composure and Le Bris’ tactical plan: “Brobbey holds it up brilliantly, rolls it to Talbi, and it’s a great finish into the bottom corner. What an excellent day for Sunderland. Régis Le Bris has done a brilliant job with his game plan today, and all the players executed it perfectly.”
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