View: Aaron Connolly provides Sunderland selection headache for Regis Le Bris
Aaron Connolly scored the Black Cats’ only goal in the game against Millwall on Saturday but his overall performance was poor as Sunderland were held to a late draw.
A draw at The Den on 23 November signalled four straight games without a win for Sunderland although with several first-teamers missing, it was a decent enough point all in all.
Connolly gave the Black Cats the lead in the first half in what was his only real involvement in the game before Millwall grabbed a late equaliser in a result that Le Bris admitted was “difficult” to take.
Aaron Connolly provides the goods (and bad) for Sunderland
In the absence of several players, Connolly was drafted back into the starting XI albeit in a perhaps unnatural position as an attacking eight.
His goal was excellent, being in the right place to dispatch a volley from the edge of the box into the bottom corner with what was his only shot of the game but his overall performance was underwhelming in some areas while impressive in others.
Quite remarkably, the Irishman completed just two passes in the 58 minutes he was on the pitch, according to FotMob. To consider he was occupying a midfield role of some capacity, it simply isn’t enough.
In total, he attempted just six passes, misplacing four of them. His lack of involvement on the ball was showcased again with the fact he had just 14 touches of the ball.
Off the ball, he contributed massively, winning 3 of the four defensive duels he was involved in and relieving the pressure on the Black Cats’ defence at times.
With several players set to return following suspension, it seems unlikely that Connolly will keep his place in the side when Sunderland host West Brom on Tuesday, 26 November.
In other Sunderland news, the Black Cats are “confident” they can keep hold of their key players after more exit rumours.
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