Sunderland - Beware the speedy counterattack

[Blades Glory Owls Down]

Sunderland will be a tough game, particularly with this counter attacking style that they have been really effective in employing against teams.
As has been said, we have enough attacking flair to keep them occupied through the game but they have shown to be comfortable in sitting in and launching quick counter attacks to the likes of Mayenda and Isidor who are lightning quick.
This is my big worry, in that the worst thing that could happen in the game is for us to commit forward and leave our back line vulnerable to this kind of pace as neither Anel or JLT have the pace to keep up. An early goal for them will allow them to sit in and try to absorb any pressure that we put on them with 2 solid banks of defence/midfield to try and break through.
This would leave us even more vulnerable to this counter attack.

We need to get the early goal so that they have to come out and attack us to leave more space for the likes of Hamer to work his magic.

 

[Balham]

We don't commit too many forward though. Even when we're pushed up you can expect to see at least three of the four defenders plus one of the two holding midfielders staying back. That's also part of the reason we struggle to break teams down.

 

[JS Blade]

To be fair to the lads we attack as a group and defend as a group. With the likes of Choudhury, Peck, Souza, Burrows i don't think we will leave runners to get in behind alone. The issues start when the lads tire and start passing runners on, that's where they will get the chances.

Fancy us to start strong, fancy us to have more of the ball. We have the ability to put this to bed before all the above kicks in but we've got to turn up.

Can't do anything about being beat by a better team on any given day but in the past we have let ourselves down a wembley.

Burrows, O' Hare, Hamer etc have all done very well previously on the day as individuals even though their former clubs didnt get the result so lets hope its different.

We could literally dominate this game and look unreal ............ we could also lose to a ridiculous wrestling move in the box giving away a penalty and i have no idea which one it will be

 

[cooperblade]

When we went to the Stadium of Light this season, Le Bris used similar tactics to the ones he employed v Coventry with a counter attacking 4-4-2. I think it took us a bit by surprise that night (although if we'd scored the pen, it might've been different) but we'll be expecting it now and can prepare. I think we're unlikely to play the same formation as we did that night, I expect us to stick with the 4-4-2 which I think will match up better against the counter attack.

Our bench that night was Burrows, Brooks, Norrington-Davies, One, A. Davies, Boyes, Baptiste, Blacker and Marsh so squad-wise, we're in a totally different place now.

I hope Sunderland stick with O'Nien and don't go with a Mepham / Ballard centre-back pairing. Even if we can't get Moore matched up on O'Nien, I think Campbell will cause him problems physically.

 

[ZoneManWilf]

When we went to the Stadium of Light this season, Le Bris used similar tactics to the ones he employed v Coventry with a counter attacking 4-4-2. I think it took us a bit by surprise that night (although if we'd scored the pen, it might've been different) but we'll be expecting it now and can prepare. I think we're unlikely to play the same formation as we did that night, I expect us to stick with the 4-4-2 which I think will match up better against the counter attack.

Our bench that night was Burrows, Brooks, Norrington-Davies, One, A. Davies, Boyes, Baptiste, Blacker and Marsh so squad-wise, we're in a totally different place now.

I hope Sunderland stick with O'Nien and don't go with a Mepham / Ballard centre-back pairing. Even if we can't get Moore matched up on O'Nien, I think Campbell will cause him problems physically.

The positive is that Wilder clearly learned something from the Bristol City League games, switched tactics for the playoff and it paid off.

Big test for him now to do the same versus Sunlan.

 

[Balham]

When we went to the Stadium of Light this season, Le Bris used similar tactics to the ones he employed v Coventry with a counter attacking 4-4-2. I think it took us a bit by surprise that night (although if we'd scored the pen, it might've been different) but we'll be expecting it now and can prepare. I think we're unlikely to play the same formation as we did that night, I expect us to stick with the 4-4-2 which I think will match up better against the counter attack.

Our bench that night was Burrows, Brooks, Norrington-Davies, One, A. Davies, Boyes, Baptiste, Blacker and Marsh so squad-wise, we're in a totally different place now.

I hope Sunderland stick with O'Nien and don't go with a Mepham / Ballard centre-back pairing. Even if we can't get Moore matched up on O'Nien, I think Campbell will cause him problems physically.

O'Nien is club captain. It's been him plus one of Mepham or Ballard. The comparison to Jack Robinson is uncanny: hugely committed, not the best technically, capable of some horrendous errors, loves a yellow card. O'Nien is dirtier (will take the man out off or after the ball); Robinson more forceful when tackling (will take man and ball, unbothered about the order).

 

[Mackem magic]

O'Nien is club captain. It's been him plus one of Mepham or Ballard. The comparison to Jack Robinson is uncanny: hugely committed, not the best technically, capable of some horrendous errors, loves a yellow card. O'Nien is dirtier (will take the man out off or after the ball); Robinson more forceful when tackling (will take man and ball, unbothered about the order).

Dan Neil is the Captain now mate. Re O'Nien, he's been an absolute stalwart since he came to the club, he's literally played every position apart from striker or keeper, he can be a proper windup on the pitch, but off it he's a very likeable fellow. Not everyone's cup of tea though, I'd imagine that it'll be him and Ballard on the day.

 

[Grappler]

We've just got to get the correct starting line up and play to our best strengths.

The table (points) doesn't lie.

 

[Long Time Lurker]

But they barely created anything with those counters. Their decision making is horrendous and they only send 3 or 4. They only looked at all effective in attack ladt night when they actually got the ball to stick up the pitch and pushed up 30 yards.

9.30

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

The biggest ‘beware’ is playing Robinson and Anel against forwards who already have their number. CW doesn’t always learn from his mistakes so he will likely pair them together. I’m slightly concerned that we will resort to hitting it long to Moore and Ballard will lap it up and that Peck freezes and goes into headless chicken mode. But I’m not mega worried about Sunderland / their players at all. It’s our weaknesses that worry me. Probably just pre match nerves making me over think things!

 

[Jimmy Fleck]

Having skimmed some of the sunlun forum they seem to think in both league ties they dominated us. IMO other than the penalty at bramall lane I don’t think they troubled us too much. At SoL they scored from us giving the ball away twice plus we missed a pen ourselves- so I’m not sure we were dominated at all really. None of this matters for Saturday of course and we have a lot more fire power off the bench than they will. I’m confident but not arrogant.

 

[Toronto Blade]

Coventry were a test and they eventually could have won but Sheffield United are a .much tougher team to beat than Coventry.