Sunderland take risk with Chris Rigg after 33% showing v Watford
Sunderland were forced to settle for a point at home to Watford on Saturday, with Dennis Cirkin scoring a last-gasp equaliser to maintain their unbeaten home run in the league.
The Black Cats took a hit in their hunt for promotion with a 2-2 home draw against Watford, leaving them seven points behind Leeds United at the summit of the Championship.
Injuries are still being felt at Sunderland, with Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson certainly needed back to fitness if they are to have any chance of maintaining their position.
Those injuries have meant that several players have been perhaps overexposed to regular football, with Rigg certainly starting to showcase the effects of that with what was a poor performance against Watford.
Chris Rigg struggles against Watford
Rigg has been phenomenal for the majority of the season, but as has been seen with young players over the years, too much playing time can be a bad thing and players can start to show signs of fatigue, both mentally and physically.
Rigg showcased that against Watford and Sunderland are taking a huge risk by playing him week in and week out.
According to FotMob, the 17-year-old completed just 12 passes in the game, out of a total of 16 attempts with only 35 total touches in the clash. The typically creative midfielder failed to create a single chance in the game.
Just 33 per cent of his attempted dribbles resulted in Rigg retaining possession of the ball, while failing to find a teammate with any of his three attempted crosses.
Sunderland need to manage his game time and, at the moment, it seems like they are failing to do that as a result of the injury concerns elsewhere.
Sunderland take a hit in promotion race
The Black Cats have been on course to achieve promotion all season, and while the chance is still there, they will need some fortune to swing their way.
Sunderland are now five points outside of the top two, and may be forced to rue what was a poor performance against the Hornets come the end of the season.
There promises to be many more twists and turns along the way, with Sunderland surely hoping any happenings swing in their favour.