The Black Cats defender has been in excellent form for Regis Le Bris' men
Dan Ballard celebrates scorng Sunderland's first goal against Arsenal
Sunderland's Dan Ballard celebrates scorng the first goal against Arsenal
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Dan Ballard has shown himself to be a colossus this season for Sunderland. Boss Regis Le Bris has gone so far as to say the club and fans are seeing “the real Dan Ballard” after his stellar performances.
When the Frenchman took over Sunderland 18 months ago a year-and-a-half ago, Ballard was unavailable because of injury and a succession of niggling issues in the first half of last season meant the Northern Irishman only started nine of the first 30 games of the Championship campaign.
He was sidelined again towards the end of the season, and while he returned to play a pivotal role in the play-offs, scoring the dramatic extra-time goal against Coventry City that took Sunderland to Wembley, Le Bris never quite felt he was at his physical peak.
A groin injury in the early stages of August’s defeat at Burnley ruled him out again at the start of this season.
Thankfully for him, Omar Alderete and Reinildo Mandava have both had spells out of the side, giving him his chance.
Le Bris told reporters: “Last season, he had an injury early in the season, so he struggled to find a good rhythm.
“If you miss the pre-season, I think physically it’s difficult to find the right connection with your own performance, the squad and so on.
“He showed at the end of the season that he was a really good defender. So, it was mainly a question of form and consistency for him. I think now, he has found the right way.”
Giving Ballard the best possible chance of remaining fit has involved drawing up an individually-tailored training programme which the 26-year-old is sticking to.
“With the coaching staff and with all the staff we have around the player, we’re trying to find the right balance,” said Le Bris. “Because it’s a specific profile. You can’t train Ballard like you train a midfielder or someone like that.
“I hope it will be the case [that he stays fully-fit] for the following stages of the season. At the minute, I think he’s in good shape, so we want to continue like this.”
Ballard has impressed in both boxes this season, defending with wholehearted commitment at one end while offering a huge aerial threat from set-pieces at the other, but Le Bris does not feel he is anywhere close to his peak.
“He’s tall, he’s big, he’s aggressive,” said the Sunderland boss. “And he has good qualities. I think he’s talented as a defender, and I hope he’ll continue to grow like that.
“If you experience the Premier League like we are doing now, then I think you can learn every time you play. So, I think that’s the case for him.
“Our team-mates are probably better this season, and our opponents are better this season too. If you are consistent, if you are playing many games, then I think you learn every day.”