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Captain fantastic
Grant Leadbitter’s late penalty proved the difference between the two promotion hopefuls on Saturday. The club captain capped off a fine display with the winner and continued his strong start to the season. Leadbitter is arguably having his best spell since rejoining the club in January 2019.
The midfielder came into the side following George Dobson’s red card in the season opener against Bristol Rovers. The 34-year-old is asked to sit in front of the back three to allow his fellow central midfielder to push on.
Leadbitter brings an invaluable level of calmness on the ball to the team. It is essential for Sunderland to recycle and retain possession. He was a constant in bringing the ball away from difficult situations, meaning Sunderland could dominate possession.
He completed 54 passes, the most for his side on the day. Though the team, in possession, were too slow at the weekend, Leadbitter created the foundations to play a fresh brand of possession football in the future.
As impressive as he was in possession, the veteran was inconsistent defensively. Peterborough forward Siriki Dembele excited at times on Saturday; most of his joy came from dropping deeper. Leadbitter’s lack of pace hindered him as the tricky Dembele quickly turned away from him for a big chance in the opening ten minutes.
But in the end, it was Leadbitter who won the game. After Denver Hume won the controversial penalty, the level-headed skipper stepped up. He slammed home the penalty, yet, as important as the three points are, the moment seemed much more emotional for him.
Leadbitter recently returned from a lengthy absence from the side, long before the coronavirus crisis. His mother died in the summer of 2019 when Sunderland were tied up in the League One Play-offs. Of course, Leadbitter stepped up to play in those play-offs, in which Sunderland were narrowly defeated by Charlton Athletic in the final. He had no time to grieve the family loss so, in January, took the decision to take a break.
He rejoined the side for preseason and is thriving in his new role in the side. The winning goal at the weekend is not only a huge moment for Sunderland, but for the club captain personally.
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A solid defensive structure
Phil Parkinson has always valued having a strong defence as a foundation to win games. His Sunderland side is no different as they aim to get out of the third tier. The defence is starting well, conceding just one goal in the opening three; Bristol Rovers’ goal came from a penalty.
The back three of Bailey Wright, Jordan Willis and Tom Flanagan are structured and in sync. Wright is the commander at the heart of the defence; he is strong and combative. He successfully battled off Dembele and Jonson Clark-Harris at the weekend. Keeping a clean sheet against one of the most talented front lines in the league speaks testament to how this Sunderland defence is operating.
Whilst Wright is marshaling, Willis and Flanagan are also useful in going forward. Willis tends to operate as an “overlapping” centre-half, much like in Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United system. He helps to create overloads on the right-hand side - on Saturday this helped Luke O’Nien and Josh Scowen get a little more space.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side, Flanagan is comfortable stepping out and spraying passes out wide. On Saturday, he was particularly effective at dribbling into space left in midfield before getting the ball out to Denver Hume. Part of Hume’s impressive display came from Flanagan reaching him quickly and in space.
Despite the current defence impressing, Sunderland have backup. Kosovan international Arbenit Xhemajli is waiting in the wings after signing from Swiss club, Xamax. Further, former Everton academy captain Morgan Feeney joined in the summer, though he recently sustained a serious injury.
In essence, Sunderland are extremely strong at the back and this won the game for them against Peterborough. The headline will be the strong piece of luck on the penalty; however, luck only helps if the opposition hasn’t run away with the game.
Peterborough’s talented attack line, with the creativity of Sammy Szmodics, will cause most of the league trouble this season. For Sunderland to keep them at bay is very promising.
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A new shining light
Denver Hume won the penalty to win the game in the last ten minutes. His darting run into the box forced Jack Taylor to commit, leaving the possibility of being fouled.
Controversially, the referee pointed to the spot. It completed a great performance for Hume, who continues his great start to the campaign.
In the past, the academy graduate has been criticised for his final product but his crossing has vastly improved. He played plenty of enticing balls into the box and if Charlie Wyke wasn’t so ineffective on the day, he could have secured a couple of assists.
Hume is continuing his development by becoming a key player for Sunderland. He came into the side under Jack Ross, making sporadic appearances at the end of the 2018/19 campaign. He became first choice at left-back last season, making 32 appearances before the curtailment. The 22-year old is firm number one choice at left wing-back and is quickly becoming one of Sunderland’s most important men.
He provides width that Sunderland otherwise lacks at times. Playing with two number tens means the wing-backs are essential. Hume’s stamina and determination to come up and down the wing for 90 minutes is vital for the system.
Against Peterborough he was impressive, playing 35 passes, the vast majority of which coming from an advanced left-wing position. He also completed four dribbles, showing how important he is to the team’s attacks.
Phil Parkinson is keen to add another left wing-back to his ranks, but Hume is giving him a headache. He’s determined to make his manager recruit a backup, not a replacement. If he keeps up his current performances, he will keep out any possible signing out of the team.
