Sunderland fans may well feel like they are losing after Michael Beale was appointed manager yesterday.
Following Tony Mowbray’s sacking two weeks ago, the Black Cats were linked with a number of exciting, young managers including Will Still and Kim Hellberg.
But things took a sour turn when it was Michael Beale that had been lined up to take the reins on Wearside, less than three months after he was sacked for an underwhelming stint with Rangers.
Supporters have been left very frustrated by the 43-year-old’s arrival, but for whatever reason, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus believes Beale is the man to take Sunderland forward.
The players were understandably surprised by Mowbray’s exit, and they will have undoubtedly been disappointed due to their relationship he had with the younger ones. But they will now be preparing to impress the new coach and earn their place in his plans, and there is likely to be a few players that could well benefit from his appointment and others that may not.
Here are three potential winners from Michael Beale’s arrival at Sunderland…
Dennis Cirkin
Dennis Cirkin was well-loved by Tony Mowbray and played a key part in Sunderland’s success last season.
However, the full-back has spent a large chunk of 2023 on the sidelines, missing a total of 29 games in the Championship due to various different injuries.
Cirkin has now lost his place in the starting line-up to Niall Huggins, but he could definitely succeed in a battle for his spot back.
Michael Beale’s tactics put emphasis on overlapping full-backs and likes the wide players to put in a lot of work to get up the pitch and stretch the opposition. These tactics saw James Tavernier and Borna Barisic claim a total of 19 goals and 19 assists between them last season.
While Niall Huggins has been very handy overlapping alongside Jack Clarke, Cirkin is undeniably the better of the two on the attack and netted five important goals in the Championship last season.
Both full-backs are likely to be appreciated by Beale, but I can see Cirkin just getting the edge over his 23-year-old teammate.
Dan Neil
Dan Neil is another player that could really benefit from Michael Beale’s tactics.
The 43-year-old coach looks to use his full-backs to stretch the midfield and leave plenty of space for the midfielders to run, dribble and get the ball to the forwards.
Neil already does this brilliantly and has shown multiple times how well he can convert defence to attack with the ball at his feet, while he runs up the pitch and sprays the ball out wide, or up to the strikers in the middle.
Neil’s versatility in midfield also means he can play in the deeper ‘pivot’ role that Beale requires.
His hard-work and impact on and off the ball will be perfect for what Beale wants to implement.
Jack Clarke
Jack Clarke is another player that Michael Beale will love for his tireless effort and hard work.
The winger absolutely loves to run at players, but with the manager looking to bring the attacking full-backs as far up the pitch as possible, this gives Clarke the opportunity to pass it to the overlapping defender before running into further into space to receive it once again.
It’s very clear that Clarke prefers to cut inside and shoot rather than running to goal line and passing it back into the danger area. The full-back’s attacking position may give him more opportunities to do exactly that, while the likes of Cirkin or Huggins can be the ones to cut it back into the penalty box.
With the £25 million rated attacker heavily linked with a move away in January, Beale will have to hope he can get Clarke on side so he can reap the benefits of his presence in the second half of the season.