Why Brian Brobbey is starting to show his best form for Sunderland
A handful of senior players were involved as Sunderland U21s ran out emphatic winners against Athletic Bilbao
First and foremost this was a fine night for Sunderland's U21s, completely dominant in a 7-1 win over Athletic Bilbao as they moved onto four points from their opening two Premier League International Cup fixtures.
There were good stories all over the pitch from a Black Cats perspective. There was striker Jake Waters, who scored as a brace as he recovers from two years on the sideline from injury. Ukrainian forward Timur Tutierov continued his breakout campaign with another live wire showing, while Jaydon Jones was promoted to the starting XI after an injury in the warm ups and managed to pick up a goal and an assist.
It was also a good night for Régis Le Bris and his coaching staff, who were watching on closely as a trio of senior squad players pressed their claim for more Premier League minutes. A caveat, here. Whereas Anderlecht's youngsters gave Sunderland a real battle a fortnight ago, Athletic Bilbao were wretched here. Neat enough in patches on the ball, but a mess out of possession and physically not even close to competitive.
Take nothing away from Sunderland's quality and application, but against an opponent of this calibre you would expect Premier League players to stand out. Which is exactly what they did. This was another significant step forward for Dennis Cirkin, who had played his first competitive minutes since that Wembley play-off final win last Friday. After 45 minutes against Ipswich Town here he played an hour, notching up an assist inside two minutes and a lovely goal on his weaker foot not long before his withdrawal. Cirkin was a thorn in Athletic's side throughout, overlapping Tutierov at times but mostly drifting infield to get on the ball and pick passes. Sunderland's third goal started with a gorgeous pass through the lines, taking Athletic's midfield out of the equation and opening up the space from which the hosts converted. Athletic's one goal was one he perhaps could have done better with, not quite getting back in position from a turnover quick enough and unable to clear his lines when the cross came in. Broadly, though, the signs were very good. This is essentially a mini pre-season for Cirkin and he has time to find his full match sharpness. The blunt reality is that with Reinildo thriving, he's unlikely to come straight into the XI. Come AFCON, though, he will either be a starter or a vital option from the bench. This was another step towards being ready for that moment when it comes.
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Dan Neil, meanwhile, was the best player on the pitch for the most part and by a distance. There was a little wobble midway through the second half, not helped by him losing his footing as the rain began to pour, but by and large he completely dominated his physical duels. One such recovery led to his goal (a shot the goalkeeper should admittedly have saved) and opened up countless other opportunities over the course of the game. His passing was precise and grew more ambitious as the game grew - Le Bris would have expected him to run this game and that's what he did. Though the level of opposition was perhaps in the end a disappointment, these were valuable match minutes for a player whose opportunity is coming during AFCON and perhaps even before, should either Granit Xhaka or Noah Sadiki pick up a fifth yellow card and thus a one-match suspension in the coming weeks.
Not really tested defensively, O'Nien had a good game stepping out with the ball and passing through the lines, another valuable 90 minutes under his belt in what is basically his own pre-season.
The trio looked sharp and applied themselves well, ready for the opportunity if and when it comes.
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