Sunderland made it 11 league games unbeaten against their local rivals with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United at St. James' Park in the Premier League at the weekend.
Goals from Chemsdine Talbi and Brian Brobbey secured all three points for the away side, with the latter following in on his own miss to score the winner on Tyneside.
The former Ajax centre-forward is now up to six goals in 15 starts in the Premier League for the Black Cats, making him the top goalscorer in the squad this season.
brian-brobbey-sunderland
Regis Le Bris will surely be delighted with the Dutchman's progress on Wearside, as the 24-year-old powerhouse has fired Sunderland to almost Premier League safety and derby success.
One player who did not come away from the derby win with as much credit as Brobbey, though, was club captain Luke O'Nien, who should be dropped after the break.
Why Luke O'Nien should be dropped by Sunderland
The 31-year-old defender has a fantastic story, coming up from League One with the Black Cats, and wears his heart on his sleeve for the club, but his performance against the Magpies left a lot to be desired.
It was his poor clearance that created the opening goal from Anthony Gordon, as he misplaced a pass into midfield that went straight to Nick Woltemade, under little pressure.
O'Nien also lost two of his three ground duels and four of his five aerial duels, as he was dribbled past once and did not make a single tackle in 90 minutes on the pitch.
In the Premier League this season, the experienced centre-back has been sent off, made an error that led to a goal, and lost 57% of his duels in 254 minutes of action.
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Whilst the effort and application is there, O'Nien's physicality and technical quality look short of the levels required in the Premier League, which is why he should be dropped for the clash with Tottenham Hotspur after the break.
How Sunderland could replace Luke O'Nien
Thankfully, for Le Bris, Sunderland have a star who has been an even better signing than Granit Xhaka to come in and play at the heart of the defence.
Xhaka-Sunderland
The Black Cats landed a coup when they signed the vastly experienced Xhaka from Bayer Leverkusen for £13m last summer, as he has delivered five assists in 27 Premier League games whilst captaining the side this season.
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Sunderland also signed Nordi Mukiele from Paris Saint-Germain for a fee of just £9.5m, £3.5m less than they paid for Xhaka, and he has been just as influential.
The France international, who can play at right-back or centre-back, was an unused substitute against Newcastle after coming back from injury, but he should be fit and available to start ahead of O'Nien against Spurs.
Nordi-Mukiele
Since joining from PSG, Mukiele has proven himself to be a dominant and dependable Premier League defender for the Black Cats, playing as a full-back or at centre-back, winning 61% of his duels.
He has won 1.3 more duels per game (6.0) than Xhaka (4.7) and made 1.3 more tackles and interceptions per game (3.6) than the Swiss star (2.3). The 28-year-old star also has four assists to his name, one less than the captain.
Mukiele, who was described as a fan favourite by Michael Bridges earlier this season, has been an even better and more impactful signing than Xhaka, based on his qualities on the pitch.
At 28, he is also five years younger than the former Arsenal man and has more long-term potential to be a key player for the club for many more years to come, which is another reason why he could prove to be an even better signing for the Black Cats.
25/26 Premier League Nordi Mukiele Luke O'Nien
Appearances 25 8
Goals 1 0
Assists 4 0
Tackles + interceptions per game 3.6 0.8
Clearances per game 5.2 0.9
Ground duel success rate 59% 58%
Aerial duel success rate 63% 27%
It is fair to say that Mukiele has significantly outperformed O'Nien at Premier League level this season, offering more to the team offensively and defensively at right-back or centre-back.
Whilst the English defender has not had too many opportunities to impress, playing just eight games, his errors when given the opportunity to play suggest that Le Bris should drop him from the side for the next game.
Sunderland-Mukiele
That is why the French boss should take O'Nien out of the team to give Mukiele his first start since returning from injury, starting at centre-back alongside Omar Alderete.
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