Sunderland's US Tour: 4 Lessons from a Tense Tour Opener
Sunderland rounded out their USA 'Summer Series' with two games in quick succession, facing Leeds on Thursday evening local time and Wrexham on Sunday morning local time. The games saw split squads, with minutes being shared evenly across the two fixtures, allowing workloads to increase for those who had been part of the squad throughout July.
Régis Le Bris, Sunderland's manager, noted that there would be an increase in minutes for those who had been involved throughout pre-season, with many of them stepping up to around an hour, whilst the returning World Cup players would be eased back into action. The starting line-up against Leeds remained largely unchanged, with Brian Brobbey slotted straight into the central striking role due to Wilson Isidor's return to the UK for personal reasons.
With several days between fixtures, Le Bris made two further changes against Wrexham, as both Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra returned to the starting XI at the expense of Alan Browne and Enzo Le Fée. Le Bris confirmed that Le Fée had picked up a slight knock against Leeds and was therefore given a well-earned rest, allowing Chris Rigg to gain more valuable minutes in his preferred central position.
Sunderland's operating formation across both games was their familiar 4-1-4-1 / 4-3-3 shape, with Le Bris showing no interest in changing formation. However, the team has seen several different midfield combinations due to the absence of Granit Xhaka, with a leadership-by-committee approach emerging, as players like Le Fée, Diarra, Sadiki, and Browne all spent spells operating as the de facto number six.
Leeds, who approached the fixtures slightly differently, found themselves in a similar position to Sunderland, with several players only recently returning from extended World Cup breaks. Daniel Farke, Leeds' manager, split his squad between established first-team players and youngsters, making significant changes shortly after half-time before rotating again around the 70-minute mark.
Wrexham, by contrast, were approaching their final pre-season fixture before beginning their competitive campaign against Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup. Phil Parkinson, Wrexham's manager, fielded what was effectively his strongest available side as they treated Sunderland as a final dress rehearsal before the Championship season.
Sunderland's attacking intent was encouraging against Leeds, with the team repeatedly finding space behind the defensive line, only for the final pass or finish to let them down. Early opportunities for Brobbey and Le Fée came and went, whilst several efforts from Mundle were blocked before Leeds were truly tested.
The increase in shots from distance remains one of the more encouraging tactical tweaks for Sunderland, with the team generating five or more attempts during the first half, demonstrating a greater willingness to pull the trigger. However, the team's inability to convert these chances into goals remains a concern.
Sunderland will now face their final pre-season double-header, with a series of games set to take place in the coming weeks. The team will be looking to build on the positives from their US tour, including their improved attacking intent and increased workload for key players.
Source: Yahoo Sports