Data showcases Sunderland’s weak spot, but there’s a solution
Teams are targeting the same area of Sunderland’s team so far this season.
It may only be early days, but Sunderland are looking safe from any immediate relegation battle, despite their latest defeat.
Raul Jimenez scored for Fulham in a 1-0 win over Sunderland, which ended the Black Cats’ four-game unbeaten run abruptly.
A theme emerged in that clash at Craven Cottage, and data showcases that it has been constant throughout the campaign.
Trai Hume is being targeted by opposition teams
Trai Hume has been solid for Sunderland this season, at least for the most part.
However, he has often been labelled as the weak spot in Sunderland’s defence, and the data showcases that it is a familiar feeling among other sides in the Premier League.
Via WhoScored, as relayed by Under the Light on X, eight of Sunderland’s 12 opponents so far this season have targeted Hume’s side.
In those games, 40 per cent of the opposition’s attacks have been down that flank, with the Black Cats dealing very well with any threat that has come centrally.
Sunderland have dropped points in six of those eight games, with defeats against Burnley, Man United and Fulham.
In the three games in which our opponents have targeted the opposite side, Sunderland have picked up seven points.
Only Chelsea have used the centre for more than 30 per cent of their attacks this season, which is evidently where Sunderland’s strengths lie.
Nordi Mukiele needs to be played at right-back
Hume is going to be an invaluable player this season, but it is no secret that he is the weakest player of Sunderland’s defensive options, though that is more of a testament to the quality around him as opposed to his own flaws.
Shifting Nordi Mukiele over to right-back and bringing Omar Alderete back in to partner Dan Ballard has to be the way forward for the Black Cats, who can no longer utilise a back five in games like that against Fulham.
That style of play should be reserved for encounters with the big six, with Sunderland more than capable of matching the majority of teams they will come up against this season.
That would not necessarily spell the end for Hume, though it could open the door to a new role for the Northern Ireland international in the middle of the park.
Sunderland will need more options there when AFCON arrives, and he could be perfectly suited for a holding midfield role.
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