Sunderland host Stoke City in the Championship this afternoon, in what promises to be fiery game on Wearside.
Stoke City visit the Stadium of Light to face a Sunderland side in turmoil.
Boss Michael Beale has become a widely unpopular figure for his team’s results and performances since his December arrival; his popularity though hit a new low after his explosive pre-match comments ahead of this weekend.
Last time out, the Black Cats hosted Hull City and lost 1-0.
Tigers boss Liam Rosenior said it was the worst his side’s played all season, yet they still claimed all three points against a Sunderland side who offered nothing on the day.
Michael Beale has to ring the changes
If Beale is to stand any chance of succeeding at Sunderland, and getting the fans on board, he has to start with a win and a positive performance today.
And for that to happen he’ll need to make changes from the side that lost to Hull.
The first and maybe foremost change that could happen is taking Nazariy Rusyn out of the XI, and potentially bringing Luis Hemir in.
Rusyn was completely missing against Hull and whilst the negative style of play may be partly to blame, the Ukrainian still failed to do anything with the limited time he did have on the ball.
Hemir though, when he came off the bench, had a few nice touches, and showcased his ability to drop a bit deeper and kick-start attacks that way.
Something has to give for Sunderland
An overriding theme from the last few weeks has been a reliance on Jack Clarke.
And it was especially evident against Hull; Sunderland simply looked to give the ball to Clarke at every opportunity and hope that he’d do some spectacular.
He was marked out of the game, and Beale will surely recognise ahead of today that his side needs a Plan B.
Bringing Hemir in at the top of attack could give Sunderland a bit more physicality and quality in that final third; although he’s not enjoyed a strong debut season on Wearside, he looked quite sharp against Hull, and he does have that ability to drop a bit deeper and start link up plays.
Rusyn is more interested in running behind defenders, and that’s all well and good in a side that can offer those through balls, but this simply isn’t one of those sides right now.
Today’s game kicks off at 3pm.