One Sunderland ace was handed unwarranted stick following his showing vs Norwich City.
The Black Cats now find themselves with three wins in their previous four games following their comeback victory against Norwich City.
Sunderland found themselves a goal down at the break, but once again managed to turn things around at the Stadium of Light, with Dan Ballard scoring a second goal in consecutive weeks, whilst Jobe Bellingham also popped up with a crucial finish in the dying embers of the second stanza.
Despite the win, it wasn’t the best of showings by Regis Le Bris’ side, with Ballard admitting that his side weren’t quite at the races, and many fingers have been pointed to the attackers in this instance.
Wilson Isidor struggled when leading the line, notching just 13 touches in the entire game, however he was also grouped with a fellow attacker who also drew in criticism, one that seems somewhat unjustified.
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Sunderland ace Eliezer Mayenda faces ‘lazy’ criticism despite top performance
Sunderland forward Eliezer Mayenda burst into the side this season, with him already notching nine starts for the team.
The 19-year-old has bagged two goals, and recently notched an assist in the win against Norwich City, setting up Ballard for his header, however, he has still received stick for his recent showings.
The claims being made over Mayenda’s performances have been responded to by journalist James Copley, who said on X: “[He is] Only 19 as well. Done really well to bounce back from last season. I really like him.
“Don’t get this lazy tag from some. Defensive positioning could be improved at times but that will come.
“Has been an asset since coming back in – and playing out of position.”
Eliezer Mayenda performances are justified for one key reason
There is no doubt that Mayenda does tend to be quite a hot-and-cold player, often coming alive at key moments in the game, but not certainly providing a constant impact, however, fans have to take one clear thing into consideration when disapproving of his performances.
As a result of the current injury woes at Sunderland, the Spanish teenage forward is being shoehorned into the side, this time playing on the left flank, before switching with fellow winger Patrick Roberts.
For a 19-year-old player, you often need consistency in regards to aiding your development, whether it is game-time, or being utilised in the same position, and you can comfortably argue that Mayenda is not getting the luxury of the latter.