Sunderland take on Birmingham City in the Championship this afternoon, and one Blues player may be at the front of Michael Beale’s thoughts.
Sunderland head to Birmingham City where the Black Cats go up against former boss Tony Mowbray.
The 60-year-old was out of work for just a few weeks after leaving the Stadium of Light in December, then replacing Wayne Rooney in the January.
Since, Mowbray has overseen five Championship games, winning two, drawing one, and losing two, with his side currently six points above the drop zone after a midweek win vs Blackburn Rovers.
January saw Blues sign some impressive new players including Seung-Ho Paik and former Sunderland man Alex Pritchard, who’s injured for today’s game, and January also saw Birmingham City keep hold of Jordan James.
Jordan James could dictate the game today
James, 19, was wanted by Atalanta in January.
They ultimately failed to sign him and he remains at St Andrew’s where he looks set to flourish under the guidance of Mowbray.
Against Blackburn Rovers, James played on the left of an attacking midfield three, though he can often drift in and replace Koji Miyoshi as the no.10.
Described as a player with ‘huge attributes’ by Mowbray, James is a physically strong player who is very useful in the transition, which could suit Mowbray’s style down to a tee.
He’s got an eye for goal with six from midfield in the Championship this season; many of which coming from the edge of the box where the Welsh international likes to drive forward and find the bottom corner.
How Michael Beale can limit James’ influence vs Sunderland
James is a good player on and off the ball. With the ball at his feet, he can beat his man or pick out a nice pass, so Beale will need a player tight on him at al times.
If James starts on the left today, it’ll be Trai Hume’s job to limit his impact, and after another solid display in midweek, the Northern Irishman should relish the challenge of James.
Though if James plays more in-field then it could be an issue.
Sunderland’s central midfield has mostly been Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah this season, with Neil pulling the strings and Ekwah doing a bit more of the defensive work.
Though Ekwah’s game has been called into question at times this season and Mowbray could view that as a potential weakspot in the side, and he could let James have free-roam in the no.10 to see what damage he can do.
It’ll be very interesting to see how Sunderland line up today and to see if Beale tries to cater for James’ threat in the midfield.