Sunderland were frustrated against Bristol City on Tuesday night as they dropped points in the title race, but one player could have changed all that.
After defeating Stoke City late on at the Stadium of Light on Saturday lunchtime, Sunderland were in high spirits going into the clash with Bristol City in midweek.
However, the Black Cats were unable to find a meaningful breakthrough for almost the entire game, and were punished when Bristol City capitalised on some horrific defending from Regis Le Bris’ side.
It was down to Patrick Roberts to save the day in injury time with a dramatic equaliser, but things could have been very different had one player not been missing from the team.
Luke O’Nien’s absence was felt against Bristol City
Le Bris has been forced into a fair bit of defensive shuffling of late, with Chris Mepham’s suspension leaving a centre-back pairing of Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard against Stoke.
With Mepham back from his ban, it was largely expected that Sunderland’s lineup vs Bristol City would pair the Bournemouth loanee and the mightily impressive O’Nien, but the latter had to miss the game due to illness.
Unfortunately, O’Nien’s absence turned out to be a major pitfall for Sunderland, as fans had to watch on in dismay as Ballard (and Aji Alese) failed to deal with a loose ball in the box, with a handful of poor clearances eventually leading to Bristol’s goal.
| Statistics | Dan Ballard vs Bristol City |
|---|---|
| Clearances | 4 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Dribbled past | 1 |
| Possession lost | 6 |
| Duel success | 50% |
It’s easy to say this in retrospect, and of course, no one truly knows how O’Nien would have fared in the same situation, but we can be fairly confident that the 30-year-old defender would have been more decisive and comfortable in clearing his lines to save Sunderland’s blushes.
Later in the game, Ballard also tried carrying the ball out of defence but ran into trouble, and again, it was abundantly clear that the composure of O’Nien was sorely missed by Sunderland.
- READ MORE: Regis Le Bris says Sunderland star is ‘an example’ for his teammates after Bristol City clash
Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien is Regis Le Bris’ best defensive partnership
There can be no doubt now that Chris Mepham and O’Nien would be the ideal partnership for Le Bris moving forward. It just remains to be seen whether the latter will have recovered from his illness in time for Saturday’s clash with Swansea City.
Ballard has played well by and large this season, and were it not for that awful error leading to Bristol City’s goal on Tuesday night, his performance might not have attracted such negative attention.
But, the ‘remarkable’ displays from O’Nien this season have turned him into an almost indispensable member of Le Bris’ Sunderland squad, and the versatile defender continues to be a highly underrated gem.
He may be 30-years-old now, but O’Nien arguably deserves a new contract at Sunderland after his efforts this season. Indeed, if the Black Cats are to be successful this year, O’Nien will be at the heart of it all, doing the hard work at the back without ever truly getting his plaudits.