Sunderland made a superb start to their Premier League campaign against West Ham United
The likely exclusion of Enzo Le Fée was one, but Noah Sadiki had been so impressive across pre-season that most were more than willing to back the judgement of Régis Le Bris. With Sunderland still searching for centre backs and Omar Alderete not quite match fit, Jenson Seelt's likely inclusion was another. Seelt performed admirably, and while his injury in the second half was a cruel blow, he demonstrated his ability to play at the level moving forward.
Perhaps the only other position where some supporters may have questioned Le Bris's thinking was over on the right flank, where Chemsdine Talbi had established himself as the clear favourite over the course of pre-season. Not because Talbi had been poor, which he absolutely hadn't. His performances had steadily improved from his first appearance in Portugal against Sevilla, demonstrating flashes of the talent that had convinced Sunderland to move quickly and spend such a significant sum on him this summer. It was just that he had also looked like the most inexperienced of Sunderland's summer signings, which is of course precisely what he is as a 20-year-old with one full season of senior football under his belt. At times, it had been more than a little surprising that Patrick Roberts hadn't been given more minutes with the more experience of the Sunderland starting XIs and with no further additions in time for the new season, you wondered how Talbi would cope with the jump in intensity and quality. There had been some debate externally about reshuffling the XI, perhaps moving Le Fée out wide and shuffling Simon Adingra across.
To that end, Talbi’s accomplished performance against West Ham might have been one of the biggest positives moving into the next few weeks. His display was perhaps not as explosive as some of his team mates, with the blistering pace and dribbling he demonstrated at Club Brugge on show but more in flashes than as a regular nuisance to the visiting backline. His pace to get beyond Habib Diarra after a stunning drive from the central midfielder from one box to the other was one occasion, his cross towards Eliezer Mayenda blocked by the arm of a defender but with a handball probably rightly not given.
More notable in this game was Talbi's maturity, and his composure in possession in a position where young players in particular can be erratic. The assist for Wilson Isidor was of course the headline, a pass impressive not just because it led to a goal but because of the poise he had shown to initially slow the game down, ensuring that he didn't cede possession after the corner and give West Ham another chance to attack and reduce the deficit. Talbi waited to find a team mate in space who could retain possession, allowing Isidor either to drive for the corner or go for goal as he eventually did unchallenged.
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The stats that underline Chemsdine Talbi’s accomplished Sunderland debut
That smart decision making was on show throughout. Talbi completed 24 of his 26 passes during the game, showing a good first touch and strong close control. Crucially, ten of his eleven backward passes were accurate, the winger taking care not to land his team in trouble or gift the opposition a big chance to break. He won three of his four defensive duels and though he lost the ball four times in his own half, when you dig a little deeper that stat is far less alarming than first appears. One was as he tried to gather a throw in under pressure, and another was as he played a clever dummy that on this occasion Eliezer Mayenda didn't anticipate. One was an attempted 2-1 with Trai Hume that the full back couldn't fully gather, and the other he recovered to make an important challenge and ultimately snuff out the danger.
As well as his pass for Isidor, there was one excellent cross into the heart of the box in the first half that probably deserved a team mate to gamble on. One of the reasons why Sunderland are still keen to sign a versatile winger is that the club acknowledge Talbi's relative inexperience at senior level, meaning that there will be times in the season when they need depth and competition.
Speaking in Portugal after a deal to sign Sassuolo forward Armand Laurienté collapsed, Le Bris said: "It's fair to say we will have a recruitment to make in this position.
"Simon has a good background in the Premier League but if he's alone in this position, we'll struggle. Chemsdine is young and has many games but is very young for the Premier League. So we'll need to reinforce this part of the squad."
The promising thing for Sunderland is that he adjusts to the level, Talbi will grow more confident and play with more conviction. That should mean we see more of the powerful running and dribbling that made him one of the most exciting wingers outside of Europe's big leagues last season. The starting point for any young player, however, is to earn the trust of his coach and team. Talbi's mature performance here, built on industry out of possession and calm in it, has already done that.
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