Ex-Sunderland boss Peter Reid has told current manager Gus Poyet he needs to adopt a more direct style of play. The Black Cats are currently embroiled in a relegation battle with the club 16th in the Premier League and just seven points above bottom side Leicester City. Pressure is continuing to mount on the shoulders of Poyet and the fans are beginning to get restless after witnessing just one win in their last nine domestic fixtures. Finding the back of the net has been the main problem for Sunderland this season, with just 22 goals recorded in the Premier League, a statistic bettered only by Aston Villa's miserly 13. Reid, who managed the Black Cats between 1995 and 2002, believes Poyet should adopt a more direct style of play if the club are going to maintain their top-flight status this year. "I think they need to try and play more direct - with players like [Connor] Wickham and Steven Fletcher, they need to mix it up a bit," he told talkSPORT. "Get the ball out wide and get an early cross into the box." Read more at: https://www.clubcall.com/sunderland/poyet-needs-change---reid-1760065.html
AJ has worked really hard this season up and down the pitch for me the change is very welcome as in the past i was a big critic ,i just wish he would get on the outside past fullbacks more than he does because coming in from the right shifting the ball onto his left is very predictable and most teams do push him inside because of this,other than this a vast improvement for me anyway. As reidy says get on the outside hit that back line and give the attackers something to come on to.
Wickham has got a very decent header on him as does fletcher and defoe for a little un, shame about giacc but alvarez has it in him in abundance imo
The most likely source for crosses are PVA and possibly Alvarez, the other alternatives are Lars, Rev or Buckley, not much to choose from here.
