Tony Mowbray has shared what is ‘missing’ from Luis Hemir Semedo’s game.
As per the Sunderland Echo, the Black Cats boss offered fans an insight into why he hasn’t started Hemir since the Championship’s opening day earlier this month.
The striker joined from Benfica this summer and was handed the first competitive start of his career in Sunderland’s first game against Ipswich Town.
Hemir struggled to impress at the Stadium of Light and, despite being the club’s only available striker, has since found himself on the bench.
Mowbray has come under heavy criticism for not giving the 20-year-old a second chance in the first team, with Sunderland winning only one of their first four matches in all competitions.
However, the manager has explained what Hemir lacks and why he is in desperate need of a new forward.
Hemir lacks the ‘mobility’ and ‘speed’ that Sunderland need
“We’re trying to control the game on most occasions, and then it’s about seeing whether teams are going to press or sit off in a block,” Mowbray said.
“That’s why ultimately you need some mobility at the top end because if people are sitting in a midblock and your centre-half doesn’t think they can get through the lines, sometimes you have to go over the top with some speed and some threat.
“At the moment that’s what’s missing from this team, because that’s not really Hemir or Dack’s game. Jobe has that powerful running action that can pressure people, of course, but it’s not necessarily speed.
“If we can get a striker in who wants to run in behind and wants to stretch them, it’ll give us more space us to play in – that’ll help us create more chances and win more games.”