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Changing Formations Won’t Change FortunesThere has been a...
Changing Formations Won’t Change Fortunes
There has been a clamour for Sunderland to change their formation recently owing to their meagre start to the current Premier League campaign. I think we’re getting to the stage where we’d give anything a go in an attempt to improve matters but I honestly don’t think it’s the answer. Here’s why.
The fact of the matter is our downfall during games this season has been largely due to individual errors - not the way in which the team has been set up. I’m uneasy singling out names simply because everyone who has pulled the shirt on since 8th August hasn’t covered themselves in glory. However head coach Dick Advocaat hasn’t been able to legislate for:
Patrick Van Aarnolt’s frankly disastrous run of games. The Dutchman has looked out of position, out of confidence and lacking the ability to, well, play football.
Lee Cattermole started the season looking lost. The midfield enforcer appeared to resemble someone being introduced to a football for the first time, giving away penalties at key moments in games. Although in fairness he has been marginally better of late.
Kaboul has been a shadow of his former self since joining Sunderland and has failed to marshal the defence in any significant way. One example (I could provide further) being the struggles the former Spurs man had coping with Callum Wilson during the Black Cats game against Bournemouth. He was at fault for the opening goal and was sent off in that match too.
You could probably include Sebastian Coates and Billy Jones in that list but nonetheless all three of those mentioned above have regularly made huge individual errors during games and have led directly to Sunderland conceding goals - goals which have devastated our already fragile playing squad. Advocaat simply cannot legislate for this in any formation.
It could be argued that players wouldn’t be prone to making so many blunders if they were in a system that they felt more comfortable in. Perhaps there is something in this, although Sunderland are hardly playing a formation that is particularly unorthodox. Indeed how many of those playing week in and week out can say they’re a square peg in a round hole?
I’d suggest the biggest improvements could be gained by working on the players’ mentalities. A lost cause I hear some say, well perhaps, perhaps not. However it’s clear that there has been a lack of confidence throughout the side, likely borne from the annual struggles with relegation. This also seems to be seeping quickly into the new signings like a particularly aggressive cancer. It needs to be cut out and quickly.
There will no doubt be disenchanted voices that assert some of the players simply aren’t trying. I think there have been some clear examples of individuals failing to track runners and looking almost uninterested, but is this owing to a genuine lack of passion? You’d like to think whether a player cares about the club they play for or not they would have sufficient self-respect never mind professionalism to want to avoid embarrassing themselves on a routine basis. Therefore is it something else?
The Black Cats certainly appear devoid of any confidence and look, at times, frightened to be even on the pitch. A shattered poise on the ball will manifest itself in many different ways, individual errors being one case in point. Concentration can’t be at its best when that assuredness has been eroded either. If we’re giving players the benefit of the doubt even endeavour and passion could appear lacking at times because of confidence being rock bottom.
Sports psychology/science isn’t a new methodology and will exist in some way shape or form in all top clubs but if I were Dick Advocaat I would suggest paying those on Sunderland’s books overtime.
