Sunderland produced an impressive performance despite falling to defeat again Man City
Though Sunderland's trip to Manchester City ended in frustration, for Régis Le Bris there were positives to take and not least from the exceptional performances of Enzo Le Fée and Brian Brobbey.
And though it was an afternoon that started with frustration, the game offered more evidence that Nilson Angulo is not just finding his feet at Premier League level but beginning to establish himself as an important player in the side. Angulo has enjoyed the trust of his head coach to start the season, when many (including me) would have started with Chemsdine Talbi. Malick Fofana's arrival has increased competition further still, but Le Bris kept faith with the Ecuadorian despite handing Fofana a start in the Europa League as expected.
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Increasingly, you can start to see why Le Bris has made what was at the beginning of the campaign one of his toughest calls. It perhaps didn't look that way in the early exchanges of this game, when Angulo met a cross from Le Fée and fired wide despite being left unmarked in the box. It was fitting, though, that Angulo's last contribution before being replaced by Fofana was to assist Brian Brobbey's hat trick goal. After that early miss the 23-year-old had been tireless in his running, not just to protect Dayann Methalie on his Premier League debut but to keep the Man City back four honest. It was a tireless, unselfish display that deserved to be capped with an assist at the very least.
Le Bris is the first to admit that to play as a winger in his side is difficult, as he places huge demands on them defensively that can leave them battling fatigue when they hit the final third. Simon Adingra, for example, struggled with this even though his individual quality was not in question. Though the current shape which sees either Thomas Meunier or Trai Hume play as the right-sided midfielder has huge benefits for the team overall, it places even greater emphasis on the left winger to create opportunities from 1-v-1 dribbling and individual skill.
Angulo can do that, but was noticeable in this performance was how many attacks he started not with a moment of outrageous skill but with tenacity and good awareness. His positioning and concentration is increasingly impressive, allowing him to initiate a counter-attack with a tackle or an interception. He is also increasingly picking up good positions when his team mates win the ball back high, with Le Fée at one stage inches away from sliding in for a clear attempt on goal.
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Angulo will of course be judged ultimately on his goal contributions, and even now there's a strong argument that Talbi can consider himself bitterly unlucky to earn so few opportunities this season when he has proven himself to be a very decent finisher. Angulo has far from settled the debate about his place in the side, and given the scale of Sunderland's investment it is inevitable that at some stage Fofana will find his way into the XI.
Angulo, though, is beginning to look increasingly comfortable at Premier League level and a shrewd investment from Sunderland. The final step, regular goals, is the hardest one to take but Angulo's progress is encouraging.
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