Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has jumped to defend one under pressure Black Cats man.
Sunderland will face a trip to Sheffield Wednesday this Friday, where they will hope to return to winning ways following defeats to both Leeds United and Hull City.
Both games have been summed up by a lack of goalmouth action in the final third, whilst errors in defence have seen Regis Le Bris’ side ship goals.
Most notably, Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson has been on the receiving end of some poor decisions in-between the sticks, including being unable to deal with Joe Gelhardt’s corner against Hull City. This came after Hull City’s boss looked to target Patterson, although one EFL expert thinks Patrick Roberts is also at fault.
Fans have called for Patterson to be dropped, which has led to Le Bris being questioned over his thoughts on the goalkeeper.
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris defends Anthony Patterson amid form worries
The Black Cats’ goalkeeper options look rather light in present, and whilst Kristjaan Speakman signed two shot-stoppers in the summer, with Simon Moore and Blondy Nna Noukeu joining from Championship clubs Coventry City and Stoke City respectively, neither seem to offer that top quality that Patterson possesses.
Whether it is that lack of depth, or trust in the goalkeeper, it is clear that Le Bris looks set to stick with Patterson in goal for the upcoming Sheffield Wednesday clash.
In his pre-match press conference, Sunderland boss Le Bris was asked about Patterson’s recent mistakes, to which he said: “When a striker or goalkeeper makes a mistake like that, the consequences are always different. But Anthony has been a very good goalkeeper for the team so far this season and is still a good goalkeeper.
“He can make mistakes and he has to learn from these experiences and find the best way to finish the season.
“It’s important to repeat that Anthony has been very consistent. It was the only goal of that game so the consequences were really important. But if you focus on the 34 games we’ve played with him, he’s been really good.”
Anthony Patterson must grow confidence in key area that will have positive effect
Looking at Patterson throughout a 90 minutes, it is clear that his shot-stopping ability is more than solid for this level, and whilst his distribution can occasionally lead to heart-in-mouth situations, he can more often than not look cool, calm and collected in possession.
However, the one concern that Patterson continues to have is his ability to command the box, particularly from crosses or set-pieces, especially when the box is crowded. This was certainly the result of the winning goals conceded to both Leeds United and Hull City.
It is worth remembering that the Sunderland goalkeeper is still just 24 years old, a clear indicator that his best years are still ahead of him, and because of the qualities that Patterson sometimes lacks confidence when commanding his box, that will come with experience in the Championship. We will hopefully see that improve in the next weeks and months, especially knowing that he has the confidence of Le Bris behind him.