Sunderland will be hoping that one trend at home doesn’t continue ahead of their clash vs Stoke City.
The Black Cats have endured a pretty rough patch recently, which has seen them go winless in six straight Championship games, with a most recent loss to table-toppers Sheffield United handing them their first defeat in 10 games.
Sunderland will be hoping that they can overturn their shaky form as Stoke City head up north to the Stadium of Light, where the Black Cats have drawn against West Brom and Coventry City most recently.
Defensively, Sunderland have continued to look solid, although the suspension for Chris Mepham could alter that in upcoming weeks, but the issues with Regis Le Bris’ side currently lie within the frontline, barring the recent top performance by Tommy Watson.
The current form of the majority of the Black Cats’ attacking options, paired with one unfortunate statistic at home could combine for a situation that Sunderland fans certainly won’t want to see this weekend.
- READ MORE: Sunderland must rival Middlesbrough for ex-Barcelona wonderkid signing, he could be next Amad Diallo
Worrying statistic could cause issues for Sunderland ahead of Stoke City clash
It is no secret that Sunderland have undergone recent turmoil in regards to their attacking output recently, with them finding the back of the net just three times on six recent occasions.
A lot of this comes down to a lack of chances created for the Black Cats, particularly at home, which means that they have managed a total xG of just 10.02 at the Stadium of Light so far this season, per WhoScored, which when compared to the other sides in the Championship, sees them ranked in 21st.
The Black Cats must ensure that their front three are back up to their top form, which they haven’t reached in recent weeks, but it also comes down to another set of individuals.
Sunderland midfield have been a shadow of themselves recently
Sunderland’s recent form can easily be laid upon the shoulders of Le Bris and the front three, but there also needs to be questions asked of the current midfield, which simply hasn’t been up to scratch in recent weeks.
Whilst the likes of Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg weren’t poor in the away defeat against Sheffield United, not many opportunities were created by the young English pair, and that sparks a potential question as to whether their form has played into the attacking struggles currently within the side.
At this moment, Le Bris simply has to persevere with his options due to the fact that squad depth quite simply isn’t exactly what it should be for a side pushing for promotion, and as a result, it is up to the Frenchman to turn around the rot and work out the formula for getting his side back into scoring form.