Sunderland fans had plenty to say about Adil Aouchiche’s first start of the season vs Stoke City.
The Black Cats suffered a poor 1-0 defeat away from home against Stoke City.
It was a rather uneventful first 45 minutes for Sunderland’s standards as they went into the interval goalless, a rare occurrence for the Black Cats who have often been on the back end of conceding early on in recent weeks.
However, the pivotal moment came late on as former Sunderland target Tom Cannon scored from distance to hand the Black Cats a fourth away defeat of the season.
Despite the disappointing result, there was the silver lining of Sunderland’s Adil Aouchiche managing to be at the front-and-centre of plenty of the Black Cats’ attacking output in both halves.
He was a surprise selection in the team alongside Milan Aleksic, and although there was plenty of pressure on the youngster, he certainly performed, and that was noticed by the Sunderland faithful.
Sunderland fans react to Adil Aouchiche performance vs Stoke City
Aouchiche captured the imagination of many after his performance, something that Sunderland have been unable to replicate in recent weeks on the left flank, with the likes of Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson currently out due to injury.
Whilst Aouchiche had a tough task ahead of him, he no doubt performed as he was regarded to have been, per X, by one fan as a ‘real outlet this game’, whilst one other suggested that he was a ‘bright spark’ despite the scoreline.
The ‘standout’ Frenchman, as he was referred to, was also regarded as someone who was ‘playing out of his mind’, and it was also stated that ‘Aouchiche [was the] best player for us’.
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Regis Le Bris has the capabilities to finally help Adil Aouchiche reach potential
Sunderland midfielder Aouchiche certainly arrived on Wearside at the start of last season with plenty of potential, having previously been nominated for the Golden Boy Award during his time at FC Lorient.
Whilst over in France, the youngster played under Regis Le Bris, but didn’t quite get the chance to show his skills in Ligue 1, but there was no doubt that the French boss was aware of the capabilities he held.
His showing against Stoke City certainly proved that he still can offer so much to Le Bris’ side this season, and he could undoubtedly become a key player in this current Sunderland outfit.