Sunderland tactical flexibility underlined by new Championship data

There's a lot to be said for route one football in some respects. In others it’s more about playing the ball on the floor to get results and Sunderland can do a bit of both.

In fact, the Black Cats rank as the Championship’s seventh-least route one team, demonstrating their flexibility is working given they are top of the division. Boffins OLBG have created an index for all 24 Championship teams to determine which is the most direct in the league.

The calculated metrics include average height of teams, number of long passes attempted, set-piece goals, crosses into the penalty area and percentage of aerial duels won. Each side was then granted a score based on their rankings for these metrics,

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Research discovered that while Sunderland are the seventh-least ‘route-one’ team in the Championship, they are flexible enough to go long when required. Research from OLBG has named Portsmouth as the most ‘route one’ team in the Championship so far this season, given their penchant for long passes, set-piece reliance and having one of the tallest squads in the division. Interestingly, they have struggled this season.

When Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona side waltzed their way to European glory on multiple occasions playing a dizzying brand of ‘tiki-taka’ football, it seemed as though the days of the target man were long gone.

Made infamous by the likes of Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis and even the great Jose Mourinho, direct football was fast and physical at its very best – flummoxing even the most elegant defenders.

While second-tier sides have perhaps unfairly had a reputation for playing less glamorous football than their Premier League counterparts, the stigma has slowly lifted over the past decades with younger, more forward-thinking coaches in place to challenge players. However, that is not to say the days of the burly target man are long gone, by any stretch of the imagination.

As well as the most direct, John Mousinho’s Portsmouth rank third in the division for long passes attempted per 90, average 2.33 crosses into the box per 90 and have won more aerial duels per 90 than any other side in the division. They also have one of the tallest teams in the division based on the average height of the squad, making them perfect fodder for a more direct style of play.

At the complete other end of the division, Leeds United have the lowest ‘route one’ index score.

Daniel Farke’s men attempt just 59.7 long passes per 90, have scored just 10.1% of their goals since last season via set-pieces and win just 14 aerial duels per 90 as a team. Oxford United have scored far fewer goals from set-pieces (just 1% of their goals since last year) and attempt 1.4 crosses into the box per 90 – a smaller number than Leeds.

However, the U’s have attempted 79.3 long Passes per 90 already this season and this drastically evens out their score to give them a much higher index rating. Sheffield United have the smallest squad in the Championship, on average, in the 2024/25 season. Jamie Shackleton is the smallest player in the Blades’ squad, standing at just 168 cm tall.

As for Sunderland, they play 66.6 long passes per 90, 18.2% of their goals have come from set-pieces, and 1.6 of their crosses per 90 go into the opponents’ penalty area.