Sunderland suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Swansea on Saturday afternoon, and there were some glaring issues on show at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland lost 1-0 against Swansea City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday in a flat performance that matched the mood on Wearside.
Regis Le Bris’ side secured Championship play-offs following their 0-0 Norwich draw during the week, and that was apparent within their dreadful display with many far below par.
Le Bris introduced Wilson Isidor, Harrison Jones, and Patrick Roberts back into the starting XI in place of Eliezer Mayenda, Leo Hjelde and Milan Aleksic who dropped out following the Canaries stalemate.
With the Championship play-off campaign looming, Le Bris learned some crucial lessons from the Swans loss that will certainly impact team selection for the remainder of the season.
Five things we learned from Sunderland’s loss vs Swansea City
Tommy Watson fails to impress again
In light of Romaine Mundle’s injury woes, Tommy Watson has started both the Norwich draw and Saturday’s Swansea loss following the news of his £10m summer move to Brighton.
Sunderland fans have felt that Watson’s sale to Brighton has been justified given his recent displays, and his Swansea outing was no different.
Watson failed to complete any successful dribbles, played only one accurate cross and was wasteful in possession on numerous occasions.
The Academy of Light graduate has failed to showcase why the Seagulls have shelled out an eight-figure fee for his services, with Sunderland fans agreeing the Watson deal is brilliant business.
Wilson Isidor needs to get back to best
Isidor returned to the starting XI after he was replaced by Mayenda for the Canaries clash, but failed to repay Le Bris’ selection faith.
In the first-half, much to the discontent of the Stadium of Light stands, Isidor was caught offside four times before the half-time whistle was blown. The Frenchman had the least touches (16) of any outfielder in Saturday’s affair in another anonymous display.
Isidor was poor against Millwall, and had a similarly lacklustre afternoon against the Baggies. However, his Swans display was arguably worse, given the four offside calls of which one saw the would-be Sunderland opener chalked out by the linesman after he strayed past the opposing backline.
Sunderland fans want Mayenda to start again, and the Spaniard will be expecting to start at Bristol City on Friday evening and should do so given Isidor’s current dismal run of form.
Enzo Le Fee was the only bright spark
Roma loanee Enzo Le Fee was introduced from the bench for Jones with an hour played and was the only creative spark that looked like unlocking the Swans’ resolute defense.
Le Bris has carefully brought the inventive midfielder back into the Sunderland fold following his recent injury issues, and Le Fee looked back to his sharpest in his cameo against Swansea as he did down at Carrow Road.
The Frenchman had a 91% passing accuracy, created Sunderland’s only chance of the game and attempted to inject some positivity into his side’s performance with three passes into the final third.
Given the importance Le Fee yields to Sunderland’s promotion hopes, Le Bris will continue to manage his minutes carefully. Yet, with the Black Cats so devoid of creativity without the Frenchman on the field, Le Fee’s time on the field will surely need to ramp up even before the play-off campaign.
Going through the motions before play-offs
Sunderland’s results this week against Norwich on Tuesday and Swansea this weekend are symptomatic of their current Championship standing.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 42 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 82 | 29 | 53 | 88 |
| 2 |  BurnleyBurnley | 42 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 57 | 13 | 44 | 88 |
| 3 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 57 | 33 | 24 | 83 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 57 | 37 | 20 | 77 |
| 5 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 53 | 45 | 8 | 63 |
| 6 |  CoventryCoventry | 41 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 58 | 53 | 5 | 62 |
Le Bris’ side knows they are guaranteed a play-off place, and given their sufficient buffer on the below chasing pack, they are well aware fourth place is inevitably theirs.
As such, their regular season is currently in a state of limbo, which has been reflected in their last two lacklustre outings.
Sunderland Echo reporter James Copley said on social media: “A team very much going through the motions before the play-offs. They will need to improve.”
If the Black Cats head into the upcoming play-off campaign devoid of any dynamism or threat as they were against Norwich and Swansea, then Le Bris’ side can kiss goodbye to a season-defining Wembley showpiece next month.
Jobe Bellingham absence biggest miss
As was seen in the Canaries stalemate, the absence of Jobe Bellingham was sorely felt against the Swans.
Le Bris revealed during the week that Bellingham has suffered a minor injury concern which has sidelined him for Sunderland’s last two outings.
The Borussia-Dortmund linked midfielder has been an ever-present for Le Bris this term, making 36 Championship appearances this term, notching seven direct goal contributions in the process. Bellingham is expected to back in contention for the Robins trip on Friday evening.
Bellingham’s presence in all thirds of the field has been a massive miss for Le Bris, and much like Le Fee, his return to Sunderland’s starting XI must come sooner rather than later to help inject some resurgence into their performances.