Following a surprise finish in the playoffs in the EFL Championship last season, Sunderland had hoped that the club could push on and continue to challenge for promotion.
Whilst the campaign started brightly, it soon became inconsistent.
Nonetheless, despite the inconsistencies, the dismissal of Tony Mowbray was still considered a shock and a vastly unpopular decision amongst the Black Cats supporters.
Mowbray’s successor, Michael Beale, was met with a lukewarm response from the fans, particularly given his less-than-successful tenure at Rangers.
Rumoured disputes behind the scenes, coupled with five defeats in 11 league games, sealed Beale’s fate recently.
Steven Gerrard’s former assistant lasted just 63 days in the position.
Sunderland are, therefore, on the lookout for a new manager.
Moreover, given the questionable decisions in the boardroom this campaign, there is heightened pressure that the next appointment is the right one.
In this data and tactical analysis, we will assess the current situation at Sunderland regarding style of play and personnel.
We will further look at the direction the North East outfit wishes to go to assess which candidates would be more suited to the current vacant manager’s seat at the Stadium of Light.
We will provide an analysis of some potential candidates tactics and past performances in the dugout.
The current picture and the vision ahead
At the time of writing, Sunderland currently lie in 10th place in England’s second tier, nine points adrift of the playoffs.
While it’s not an impossibility that the Black Cats could still finish in the playoffs, it looks like a tall order.
For instance, Sunderland finished 6th last season with 69 points, therefore averaging 1.5 points per match.
In contrast, Hull City, who currently occupy 6th place, are averaging 1.6 points per match.
The Tigers are projected to finish the campaign on 73 points—four more than Sunderland managed last campaign.
This highlights how the Championship is a bit more competitive this season, making the fight for the Premier League even harder.
There is no doubt how tough it is to escape the Championship, but in fairness to Sunderland, there are many positives to take from their current squad.
Typically setting up in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-1-4-1 formation, the Black Cats have a solid defensive line with the fifth-best defence in the division.
Centre-back pairing Dan Ballard and Luke O’Nien both rank above the average for the percentage of defensive duels won compared to others in the same position in the league.
Sunderland hasn’t kept a particularly deep defensive line this season, but they do tend to operate a mid-block.
From here, they have a relatively successful press, with a PPDA ranking in the top half of the league.
In terms of Sunderland’s attacking outlet, they are varied in their approach as they rank fourth in the division for build-up attacks and joint third for direct attacks.
Key figures in their attacking play come on the wing, in Jack Clarke and Patrick Roberts.
The graph shows that Clarke and Roberts rank above the league average for their progressive passing per 90 and the percentage of accurate progressive passes.
This highlights their importance in Sunderlands ability to break down opposition defences.
Moreover
