Sunderland's midfield balance analysed ahead of Wolves clash in Premier League

Sunderland Echo

Jonathan Wilson, James Copley, and Phil Smith break down Subderland’s midfield balance ahead of the big clash with Wolves...   Catch the full episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify – just search The Roar Podcast!

Transcript

00:00why new players coming from outside the Premier League

00:02into the Premier League often find it quite hard to adapt.

00:05I think you've seen Florian Berts has found it really hard to adapt.

00:09And so the fact that Sunderland seemed to have had a very clear policy

00:11of signing quick, physical players, who can also play,

00:16but clearly the physicality is part of it,

00:19that was one of the things I was really encouraged by.

00:22So if we ever get our first choice midfield back again,

00:26Xhaka, Jarrah and Siddiqui, all three of them are technically good.

00:30All three of them are physically really powerful players.

00:34Xhaka is obviously more of a passer.

00:35The other two carry it a bit more.

00:36But that three, I think that is a midfield that it's probably a top half.

00:41Just mid-table Premier League midfield.

00:45And that's a great thing to have.

00:46Now, I'm not sure that we've quite got the balance right

00:50between that three and the front three.

00:51I know against Forest, for instance, Siddiqui played a bit wider

00:55and Lefeuille played inside.

00:58Maybe that is the way to do it to get a bit more creativity in the centre

01:01and use Siddiqui's physicality to pin in the opposing right back.

01:06But I really like that three.

01:08I think the balance that three is very, very good.

01:10It's just how you then get the interaction between that and the front three.

01:13This is a great discussion, isn't it, James?

01:15I mean, we're going to talk about Noah Siddiqui in a minute

01:17and how big an absence that is for Saturday.

01:19But what do you make of that?

01:21Jonathan's mentioned in there that it's probably the midfield

01:23and the defence that has been the most impressive this season.

01:27I guess a part of me wonders a little bit if that's also because

01:30the money that Sunland has spent in those positions

01:33goes a lot further when you're talking about defenders and midfielders.

01:36And actually, when you look at the profile of players

01:38Sunland have signed in the forward areas,

01:4018, 20 million, it doesn't get you proven wingers and strikers at this level.

01:44Maybe that's going to be a longer-term kind of process.

01:47Yeah, I really like Sunland's middle three when they're all fit and firing.

01:51I think they all do something that the others don't, if that makes sense.

01:55There was a lot of chat about Granit Xhaka coming in.

01:57We signed him when he was 32.

01:59He's since turned 33.

02:00Are his legs gone?

02:01Sort of, what's he coming here for?

02:03And he's been excellent, really.

02:04But I think Noah Siddiqui, in particular, has given him the platform to perform.

02:10Siddiqui does a lot of the dirty work, the dog work, doesn't he?

02:12His interceptions are very good, but he's quite progressive.

02:15His numbers are very high.

02:16And I think, as well, there's some things that can't be measured in statistics.

02:20When Hulme bombs forward on the right from defence, Siddiqui tends to drop in.

02:24That sort of positional awareness in the Premier League for, what, a 20-year-old,

02:27I think is quite impressive.

02:29And Habib Diarra, as well.

02:30I'm hoping to see him again soon after he recovers from his groin surgery,

02:33because he's very powerful and he can progress the ball, can't he,

02:37with the ball at his feet.

02:38And I think that's hugely important in the Premier League.

02:40We've seen with transitions numerous times already this season,

02:43not just in Sunderland games, but up and down the league,

02:46that if you've got a ball carrier, you can counter-attack quickly,

02:48where that's hugely beneficial.

02:51So I think it's hugely positive.

02:52But the negative at the moment is that two of the three are looking likely

02:56to be out for at least a little while.

02:58So it's all eyes on some of Sunderland's fringe players.

03:01Yeah, I spoke to, when I first saw Siddiqui play,

03:04which I think will have been against Sevilla in pre-season,

03:08and I spoke to Rajis Labriss the next day and I said,

03:11like, wow, that guy runs, doesn't he?

03:13And interestingly, Labriss said one of the things he talked about

03:15when they were going through the recruitment meetings

03:17and looking at his clips and stuff was Labriss had told Siddiqui

03:20that he felt he was probably running a little bit too much.

03:23So what we're seeing this season is Siddiqui cutting back on his running,

03:26which I think is incredible.

03:27But I also think he's probably, I don't know what you think,

03:31John, I'll get your thoughts on this.

03:32I think he's probably irreplaceable within this squad

03:35in terms of what he can do in his running.

03:38I think Labriss is probably going to have to do something

03:41a little bit different on Saturday,

03:42because I don't think there's a guy in the squad where you go,

03:45yeah, you go in and do that.

03:46I think he's going to have to reshuffle things a bit.

03:48I know you don't see us every week necessarily,

03:49but what's your kind of thoughts on that?

03:51No, I think that's...

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