Sunderland looked to be in real turmoil in the build-up to Saturday’s clash with Stoke City.
Michael Beale had come under heavy criticism following a bizarre pre-match press conference, which saw him claim supporters didn’t like his accent and also labelled us as ‘outside noise’.
Things only got worse when the club put out a statement confirming that Alex Pritchard had withdrawn from the squad and was demanding a move away in the final days of the window.
Despite all that, it came as a huge shock when Sunderland found themselves 3-0 up after 70 minutes at the Stadium of Light.
It was another underwhelming first half display, but the Black Cats looked much better in the second half and it was only for an unfortunate own goal from Jenson Seelt that they didn’t claim the claim sheet.
It was much better on the attack though, and Sunderland really have Abdoullah Ba to thank for that.
The Frenchman’s confidence has really taken a knocking over the past month or so due to his ‘woeful ‘performances, however Ba really sent tails wagging this time round.
The winger looked a completely different player against Stoke – full of confidence, swagger and strength.
He picked up two quality assists and was awarded with a goal of his own as Jack Clarke put it on a plate for him.
According to sofascore, Ba had 37 touches, completed 18 passes, made four key passes and won 100% of his aerial duels.
Ba also made two interceptions and worked his socks off running up and down the line.
I was lucky enough to be sat just in front of him as he continuously found himself in space on the right flank in the second half, and every single time I had complete faith that he would be able to pick someone out in the box and create chance after chance.
Can the new-and-improved Abdoullah Ba be what Sunderland have been missing?
The 20-year-old now has three goals and four assists to his name – claiming a goal contribution every 186 minutes this season. Only Jack Clarke (160 minutes) has a better ratio from our match-day squad.
Given how heavily Sunderland have had to rely on Clarke this season, it is a huge boost to see Ba turn up like that – especially given the circumstances surrounding the club.
The youngster needs to keep it up though, because he has impressed on the occasion before, but he never seems to be able to keep it up.
With Patrick Roberts expected to return from injury in February, Ba will hope to put on another stellar performance against Middlesbrough next week if he is to keep his place in the team.
If the Black Cats can bring in a new striker before the deadline in a few days time, then perhaps Ba can come a key part in a much stronger attack in the second half of the campaign.