It was an evening to forget for Sunderland’s second string after they were beaten by Huddersfield Town on penalties in the second round of the Carabao Cup.
Regis Le Bris made 11 changes to the side that was beaten by Burnley at Turf Moor at the weekend, handing three full debuts to new signing’s Marc Guiu, Arthur Masuaku and Nordi Mukiele.
It’s fair to say you wouldn’t expect to see the same level of cohesion as we might from the XI who took to the field at Turf Moor, but Huddersfield made ten changes of their own and looked a solid compact unit. There was little room for excuses.
Too many miss their chance
At this stage of the season, with new faces looking to bed into the squad and those who currently find themselves on the fringes looking for match sharpness, tonight was all about minutes in the legs. That being said, the performance needed to be better.
It was a poor first half performance from the Black Cats who managed just two shots – none of which came on target – while the visitors managed six with three of those hitting their mark. It must be said, Anthony Patterson wasn’t exactly troubled and it took a wondergoal from Leo Castledine to open the scoring.
Tonight should have been an opportunity for those who have not broken into the starting XI in the Premier League to make their mark – too many missed that chance. It’s important not to be overly critical given Sunderland’s back line was made up of three full-backs and one academy graduate midfielder, but it was the lack of cohesion in the final third that was most concerning.
The second-half was a better display, with Sunderland mustering up 15 more efforts, managing just four on target, one of those being Guiu’s equaliser. The fact Le Bris opted to start with that defence perhaps hints at what areas we’re likely to see strengthened before deadline day.
Another centre-half and a wide forward will be on the transfer wish list and it’s clear to see why. One player who did look levels above tonight was Dan Neil who not only kept Sunderland ticking, but just about covered every blade of grass.
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