Former Sunderland man Gary Bennett has highlighted a key issue for Regis Le Bris at Sunderland this season.
Sunderland were on the road once again on Saturday, this time heading to Vicarage Road to take on Watford.
The Black Cats were looking to avenge their last away outing; a 3-2 defeat vs Plymouth Argyle which ended their perfect start to this new season.
Regis Le Bris’ side bounced back with a win over Middlesbrough. But they looked sloppy in the first half against Watford, donning their new hummel third kit for the first time.
Festy Ebosele handed Watford the lead midway through the first half. But Wilson Isidor scored his first Sunderland goal shortly after the restart.
With minutes to play, Watford then regained their lead from the penalty spot, condemning Sunderland their second defeat in three as life away from the Stadium of Light proves to be tough.
Gary Bennett rues Sunderland ‘respect’ for Watford
Watford certainly dominated the first half of the game, and deserved their 1-0 lead at half-time.
And it may well have been the worst we’ve seen Sunderland in a single half of football since Le Bris’ appointment over the summer.
The Black Cats stepped back. They didn’t take the game to Watford and looked easy to break down defensively.
Highlighting this issue, former Sunderland defender and now BBC pundit Gary Bennett highlighted the fact that Le Bris’ side gave Watford too much respect during the first half.
He said on commentary: “I would say for 25 to 30 minutes of the game, they dominated the game. They’re the ones who looked as though they were going to go and score.
“Sunderland, we sat back, we kept our shape. But I think we gave them too much respect.”
Sunderland have no quick-fix for Watford issues
Sunderland remain a very young team. They’re also a team that doesn’t boast a huge amount of physicality, especially in the middle of the park.
With Sunderland being way more technical than they are physical, and with them being in form too, many teams might line up to give the Black Cats a physical battle instead of a technical one.
And when that happens, Sunderland could come undone, like they did during the first half of the game vs Watford.
For that issue, there’s no quick-fix. It’ll come with time and experience among the first-team squad, and with a few more additions in the coming transfer windows.
Sunderland return to action vs Derby County in midweek.