Sunderland were 1-0 winners against Spurs in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon
Sunderland moved into the top ten of the Premier League with their 1-0 win over Spurs at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
Phil Smith was there reporting for The Echo and these were his key conclusions...
Sunderland’s ‘balanced’ approach pays off
Ahead of the game, Régis Le Bris spoke of his admiration for Roberto De Zerbi, having cited him as an influence at his very first press conference as a Sunderland head coach. Le Bris spoke of his love for coaches with strong ideas and a clear identity, who can challenge your own assumptions and ideas about the game.
As it was limited training time and a squad low on confidence meant that De Zerbi opted primarily for continuity with Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank’s ideas, this team a pale imitation of his Brighton and Sassuolo sides.
Nevertheless, it was an important afternoon for Le Bris and what he would term as his more ‘balanced’ tactical approach. Can Sunderland be a little frustrating at times when they don’t flood the opposition box with attackers, or when they sometimes opt for a more risk-free build up? Absolutely, but this was a great example of their impressive ability to control games with and without the ball at their best.
After some of the most intense criticism he has faced in his Sunderland tenure, Le Bris has not just delivered back-to-back wins but back-to-back performances. It’s not always exciting but Sunderland are building, and balance has been key to how they have impressively navigated their return to the Premier League.
Most impressive is how Le Bris has blended his ideas with his understanding that Sunderland is a club where commitment and energy is key to winning over the fanbase. They played some good football here but as Pat Nevin noted on Match of the Day 2, key to their win was their absolute dominance in terms of tackles and duels won.
Spurs had their moments - but this was a thoroughly deserved win for Sunderland
Given that Sunderland’s relatively poor XG numbers were a fair topic of debate earlier in the campaign, it’s worth noting that they have absolutely dominated on that metric in their last two games. They may well have come up against two sides struggling for form, but they were still two sides whose budget is vastly superior to Sunderland’s and so the achievement is not to be ignored.
Spurs had their moments here, and De Zerbi’s decision to go with three very attacking forwards almost paid off as they caused problems on the counter attack early on. Robin Roefs also had to be at his best to save from Dominic Solanke just before half time and from Pedro Porro at the end of the game, but from open play and set pieces the big chances belonged mostly to Sunderland.
The real frustration was that they didn’t make this easier for themselves, spurning some good openings they created for themselves after Nordi Mukiele’s deflected goal. Spurs will feel luck was against them, but Sunderland’s last two wins have been a fair reflection of their performances.
Many neutrals have been of the opinion that Sunderland will drop off as luck begins to wane and as opposition begin to work them out. That may well be the case and repeating what they have done this season will not be easy for the Black Cats, but there’s an equally plausible scenario where this team grows rather than declines. The transformation in Brian Brobbey over the last few months as he finds form and confidence, and what that has brought of the players around him, gives credence to that argument.
Habib Diarra shows his promise
There was a school of thought coming into this game that Habib Diarra might be the play to make way for Enzo Le Fée’s return to the starting XI, with Chemsdine Talbi retaining his place on the left flank. It wasn’t an unreasonable claim, Diarra had been through a quiet spell and Le Bris admitted after this game that it was a tough call to leave Talbi out.
Le Bris’s belief in Diarra in the long run is absolute, though, and the midfield showed here why. While he can still improve in the final third, he caused Spurs problems throughout with his selfless runs beyond the back four to create space for others. He battled well in midfield and tracked back diligently, his performance alongside that of Noah Sadiki a key reason why Sunderland seized control and prevailed.
Part of the big challenge for Sunderland in this run-in is to build towards improvement next season, and Diarra is going to be a key part of that.
Returning stars mean Sunderland can look up with optimism
This win probably underlined the feeling that when they have their best XI (or something close to it) available, this is a Sunderland side that can compete with anyone. Mukiele’s return to the XI was huge, as was that of Reinildo on the opposite flank.
Roefs had a strong game here, showing how much he had been missed even if Melker Ellborg’s first steps in the Premier League were relatively impressive ones. Sunderland undoubtedly dipped for a period before the Tyne-Wear derby but absentees have to be considered a big part of that. If they can keep this group of players fit for the rest of the campaign, a top-half finish isn’t beyond them by any stretch.
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