Match Day Thread Sunderland v Burton Albion – Tuesday 22nd February 2022 - KO 19:45

Sunderland welcome Burton in the Skybet League One.

Last time out Sunderland lost to MK Dons and Burton lost at Ipswich.
Alex Neil’s first home match ended in a 2-1 defeat to MK Dons with Connor Wickham scoring a breakaway goal to add salt to the wounds. The Black Cat’s dropped into 7th place having topped the table on the 30th December.
Alex Neil will be hoping to have more options at his disposal for the midweek meeting, with Danny Batth and Lynden Gooch close to their respective returns, and Thorben Hoffmann having returned to the matchday squad as part of the substitutes on Saturday.
Trai Hume, Arbenit Xhemajli, Jack Clarke, Elliot Embleton, Patrick Roberts and Jermain Defoe will all be battling for places in the starting XI having started on the bench at the weekend.
Burton lost 3-0 at Ipswich Town at the weekend, but the Brewers had just beaten Bolton 3-1 in mid-week and currently sit in 12th position with 43 points.
Alex Neil:
"My overwhelming emotion is frustration, the first half was probably even, because they started quite brightly, but we grew into the game, and just before half-time we were the better team, so 50-50 overall.
"Then in the second half we were the better side and we penned them in, but we risked the ball in central areas and we got counter-attacked twice losing the game off the back of it.
"That's the biggest frustration. Our defensive structure when we were attacking was disappointing for both goals, but equally, we gave the ball away cheaply under little or no pressure.
"In terms of structure, plan, and tactics - all that stuff - we got the majority of that right. We just made some silly errors that have cost us the match.
"Once we got the equaliser in the second half, I felt confident that if anyone was going to win the game it would have been us, but ultimately we just made a bad decision and shot ourselves in the foot."
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink:
"It was pathetic really. We spoke about it at length, what their triggers are and right from the start we opened their trigger. That is very naive, very silly and it makes it very difficult.
"After the goal we were in the game, we had one cleared off the line and Conor Shaugnessy should score, but overall we played like schoolboys today and when you come to these places, especially this place, you have to man up and play the game properly.
"Even if we don't get the goal back, we must stay in the game, keep it at 1-0, as in the last 10 minutes it can open up.
"They are a good side, it's a big club and we are Burton, but we are still disappointed. We can come here and lose but I don't like the manner of how we have lost. That should have been a lot better.
"We didn't create in the second half and we were forced to change system and personnel. We played too many back passes and that's what they want so they can squeeze you.
"It's frustrating after Tuesday, and that's something for me to think about. We spoke about why Tuesday was so good and we didn't do those things today. When you come here you have to earn the right to play, and we didn't do that.

Match Appointments:
Referee: ROBERT LEWIS
Assistant Referees: David Avent and Robert Atkin
Fourth Official: Ross Joyce

Team Line ups
Sunderland: (3-5-2)Hoffmann; Wright, Xhemajli, Doyle, Gooch, Embleton, Matete, Winchester, Clarke; Pritchard, Stewart

Subs: Patterson, Johnson, Neil, Embleton, Dajaku, Roberts, Defoe
Injured: Willis, Huggins, McGeady, O’Nien, Broadhead, Burge

Burton Albion: (3-4-3) Garratt; Hughes, Brayford, Blake-Tracy; Hamer, Shaughnessy, Maddox, Kokolo; Powell, Ahadme, Saydee
Subs: Kovar, Leak, Mancienne, Lakin, Niasse, Smith, Chapman
Injured: tbc

Betting Odds:
Sunderland 4/5 Burton 3/1 Draw 13/5

My two pence:
At the beginning of the season we somehow lost at Burton despite playing some wonderful football, having most of the possession with 20 shots (7 on target), a goal disallowed for offside and yes they scored with their only shot on target
At least they don't have any of our ex players
All I’m asking for is a 1-0 home win - even if that is from 1 shot on target.

Live Stream:
https://www.safc.com/news/team-news/live-video

Ha’way the Lads

 

Monty's prediction after the Burton away game in August last year, our first defeat of the Season
- close but no cigar



Ross Stewart currently has 19 league goals ...

 

HA'WAY THE LADS MACKEMS ATTACKEM


I'll take a 1-0 anorl.
Onwards and upwards

 

We've not beaten them at home in this league so time to change that tomorrow please.

 

Think it’ll be a scrappy 1-1

 

So, we need to put our big boy pants on and they played like schoolboys according to JFH. This should be a classic!

We definitely need to start Clarke out wide and Pritchard centrally. Give Roberts the first 45 to help his fitness as well. Surely he has a 45mins in the tank.

I'll go for a 2-1 win to the lads.

 

RTB

I want to win

Otherwise meh

 

I just can't wait for Saturday

 

Struggling to get up for this one. I live only a few miles to the stadium, even that seems like a chew on in the current circumstances.

 

Literally saud to my Dad after Saturday’s game “there has to be a better way if spending a Saturday afternoon”….

But I’ll still be going! Whichever league we’re in.

HAVE to go 5 at the back!

 

He has to make changes. The defence looks shot to pieces and some players look like this is their first day playing football.

FWIW I'd go:

Hoffmann
Hume Wright Bathh Cirkin
Matete Winchester
Clarke Pritchard Roberts
Stewart
​

I'm tempted to try and get Defoe in the team but don't want to change the shape (not that the current setup is working like)

Maybe go:

Hoffmann
Xhemajli Wright Bathh
Hume Matete Winchester Cirkin
Pritchard
Defoe Stewart​

That might at least help plug the yawning gap down the centre of our defence that gets breeched time and time again
If Gooch is fit then I'd play him LWB ahead of Cirkin who. like Doyle and Neil needs resting for a few weeks

 

Same. 25 min drive for me. At FT on Sat one of the regulars said "see you next time" and my reply was "No chance"

Before I'd even got home I was mentally preparing myself to go on Tuesday.

 

will be dragging my sorry ass along, but really cannot be bothered with it, much like the team really

 

Love a win, even if its just to get Saturdays game out of my head.

 

Doyles max power effort was my final straw on Saturday. Just stood up and said that's me done and left. Had only 1 after the game and went home.

 

It just confirmed the absoluteness of the scrambled brains our players are playing with right now. It's actually cruel to keep Doyle in the team when he's so physically and mentally shot. He was outpaced by Bailey ****ing Wright for their first goal(!)

 

The confidence has gone but we have enough good players to win any game so it's just a matter of a lucky bounce or a moment of magic, usually Pritchard. Giving the ball away cheaply is terrible but when players are nervous it happens. We need to avoid playing passes in dangerous areas and get the ball into the final third asap. That's the basis of the way Allardyce restores confidence in the players and supporters. No one ever got a roar from the crowd by playing the ball across the back line.

Shots on goal, crosses fired in and players running into the box do that. They don't even have to succeed immediately but they get the crowd up and make the opposition nervous. I don't think we did that enough on Saturday.

I was there for that game and, despite it, was tempted to stay up for this one. I remember being doomed and desperate, at Roker Park, then we were suddenly beating teams by six goals and looking unbeatable. I'll be disappointed if I miss the start of the revival tomorrow but pleased for us all.

2-0 and cheered off at the end Haway the Lads!!!

 

Thanks again RTB for setting the scene so well, , its takes a brave man to select our line ups at the moment, so I will leave it at that, and hope that Alex gets it right this time. OaU.

 

Is it possible that there is an agreement that Doyle will play every game?

He needs a couple of weeks off or sent back to City?

TUESDAY

 

I know this won't be popular but Burge in goal would steady things down imo.

Doyle wants the ball all the time and our keepers are too happy to oblige. MK's keeper continually volleyed the ball to their wide players, for them to run from their own half. With that momentum you're very quickly in the final third and causing problems for defenders having to turn.

Burge does that quite often and, although it's not pretty, can be effective if the wide players are switched on.