Nordi Mukiele outperforming Virgil van Dijk as remarkable Sunderland stat emerges
Nordi Mukiele has been a gem for Sunderland this season.
Sunderland have had a brilliant start to life back in the Premier League, and their defensive solidity has played a key role in that success.
Off the back of Sunderland’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa, the Black Cats have conceded four goals in five games, which, for a newly-promoted team, is more than respectable.
Trai Hume, Reinildo and Omar Alderete have all played their part, but the emergence of Mukiele at Sunderland has been stunning, and he is already better than Virgil van Dijk in one aspect of his game.
Nordi Mukiele has been a monster for Sunderland this season
Since arriving from PSG, Mukiele has been sensational for Sunderland, and it was no different last time out against Aston Villa.
The Frenchman made 12 clearances and won seven defensive duels against Unai Emery’s side, playing a massive role in the game for the 10 men of the Black Cats.
His display has bumped his averages up significantly, and via FotMob, Mukiele now averages more clearances per game than Van Dijk, though not by many.
Mukiele’s stats per 90 this season
- 83.9% pass accuracy
- 80% tackles won
- 7.33 duels won
- 1.33 chances created
With the most in the league, Mukiele has 9.3 per 90 minutes, while the Liverpool star has 9.2
Not far behind him is Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi, with Sunderland’s Dan Ballard in fourth, albeit having missed a few games.
Many had highlighted Sunderland’s defence as a weak spot right at the start of the summer, and it’s fair to say that those concerns have been subdued very quickly.
Howe Sunderland had a free run at Mukiele in the summer is quite remarkable.
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Sunderland must maintain defensive solidity
In the Championship, you can often get away with a lapse of concentration at the back, but in the Premier League, it is very different.
Sunderland cannot afford to make any errors in tightly contested games, otherwise it could prove costly come the end result.
So far, they have managed to avoid them, and with Mukiele and Alderete’s experience, there will be plenty of optimism that it will remain that way.
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