View: 38% Mayenda showing demonstrates need for attacking reinforcements at Sunderland
Eliezer Mayenda was shoehorned in at left wing for Sunderland in their 3-2 victory over Swansea on Saturday and failed to have any real impact in the game.
With the blow of losing Tommy Watson to injury, the Black Cats are lacking options in the wide areas and Mayenda was picked to play on the left against Swansea.
The Spaniard failed to demonstrate the necessary attributes to succeed in that role and it showcases the need for Sunderland to attack the January transfer window with attacking reinforcements in mind.
Eliezer Mayenda is not the answer for Sunderland
Mayenda is a player with several strengths but very few of them will lead to success as a left winger.
In the current way of playing, heavy emphasis is on the wide men to cut inside and carve out opportunities but with the Spaniard forced to cut onto his weaker foot, he becomes very predictable to defend against as showcased against Swansea.
According to FotMob, Mayenda was able to complete just 38% of his attempted passes with eight not reaching the desired destination.
Of nine attempted dribbles, only three resulted in Mayenda keeping possession of the ball with Swansea using that to their advantage in the first half after taking a 2-0 lead.
Under Regis Le Bris, a heavy emphasis is on the team to defend from the front and Mayenda failed to contribute in that sense. Of the remarkable 21 ground duels he was involved in, he was successful in only six of them while winning just 50 per cent of those in the air.
A zero per cent cross accuracy was matched with the same percentage of accurate long balls in the encounter in which he surprisingly played the full 90.
Just one of three shots he had during Saturday’s game hit the target with Lawrence Vigoroux largely untested with the effort from a narrow angle.
January will provide an excellent opportunity to strengthen the attacking department and given their position in the league, an increase in spending may become tempting.
In other Sunderland news, Carlton Palmer has made an exit prediction for Jobe Bellingham.
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