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Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Everton FC - Monday 3rd November 2025 - KO 20:00
- Thread starter RTB
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Absolutely not, I love Hume he’s made the step up every time. Mukiele has been our best defender by far and Alderete second to that. If we want to play them both in a back four then either Ballard or Hume must drop out. All of them have been immense but we can only field so many players, I don’t think Hume is as nailed on as we’re making out - especially for the Arsenal game who are currently fielding 4 massive CB’s across their back line and look very good from set pieces. We may go to a back 5 to get them all in but if we went with a 4 I think Mukieles presence at RB would be preferred to Humes defensively ability. I am expecting Hume to start tonight but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t based on a tactical decision, that doesn’t mean he loses his place in the team totally.
allmagsaretossa's posted the same info on RTG, i think we might be fine
Mukiele is an absolute beast going forward from RB aswell as being so good defensively. If we want alderete to come in and have a back 4, for all i love Hume, i think he would drop out if i had to guess
Think we might see geertruide in the zhaka role if reports are true. Alderete straight back in
Yep I agree. Really harsh on Hume mind he’s adapted to the level very quickly and if he did drop out it certainly wouldn’t be a permanent fixture I’d imagine. I still think Mukiele and Alderete are our best CB pairing but hard to argue a case for Ballard to be dropped, he’s immense at attacking set pieces too which are proving to be a big part of our game. It’s nice to have these problems we have a very good mix of defenders and some decent depth there for the first time in as long as I can remember.
Right it's really really Harsh but it might get to the point where Hume plays when we set up with a five.
Was harsh on Dan Neil, Luke O'Nien, etc too at the start of the season.
Probably not as harsh though, as Hume will still be getting games, and LeBris will just do what he thinks is right for the team.
Feewallmagsaretossa's posted the same info on RTG, i think we might be fine
Aye it would be very harsh. I guess that’s the double edged sword with the amount of quality we’ve brought in. As it stands we have the second best defence in the league and that’s a credit to the club for bringing in the reinforcements but also a credit to Ballard and Hume for stepping up. I’m sure both will continue to play a massive role this season regardless of whether the drop out for a few matches here or there. Let’s remember Geertruida can barely get on the pitch and he’s supposed to be the best our of the lot
I want to dislike Everton and used to dread the away games at Goodison which rarely ended well. However, this is a great touch.
The last night game at home to Everton? A nice 3-0 drubbing. Same again please.
Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent
If Sunderland beat Everton on Monday they will move from seventh to second in the Premier League - five points behind leaders Arsenal.
With 10 games gone, more attention is paid to the standings and it's fair to say that at the start of the season few pundits would have had the Black Cats hovering around the Champions League places.
So, how have the unassuming Regis le Bris and his overhauled Sunderland side managed to be the surprise package so far this season?
Here we analyse their tactics both in and out of possession - and the ways they have found success using them.
Out of possession
Le Bris' tactical variety is evident in Sunderland's out-of-possession play this season. Though they have been difficult to break down defensively, that hasn't only been by defending deep.
Sunderland tend to begin aggressively. Le Bris instructs his players to press high, often in a man-to-man fashion, and their ability to execute this has been impressive.
Newly promoted teams are reluctant to defend in this way because getting it wrong leaves you more exposed, with individuals needing to cover larger distances alone. With the speed of the Premier League, Sunderland's decision to adopt this approach following promotion is brave but has paid off for them.
In their 2-1 win at Chelsea on 25 October, their man-to-man high press forced their hosts back. The press often aimed to force Chelsea towards their left given they lacked a left-footer in central defence. This reduced the success of the Blues' build-up play from the back.
Sunderland apply this high press when opponents take their goal-kicks but have shown a willingness to jump as a team and press in a man-to-man fashion, often using back passes as the trigger for the team to press together.
This pressure is occasionally bypassed. When Sunderland are pushed deeper, they then take a mostly zonal approach to defending, commonly blocking space in a 4-4-2 shape. Against Chelsea, and later against Manchester United, they blocked space using a back five - reinforcing their ability to adapt.
Their deeper defensive shape is incredibly strong, too, and being able to have the same 11 players do both approaches in the same game to a high level poses lots of problems for opponents.
In their deeper defensive shape, Le Bris' men aren't solely zonal defenders and do apply pressure to individual opponents near them, reducing the time they have on the ball.
If the ball is eventually played into the box, the central defenders have proven themselves as strong individual duellers. Robin Roefs has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the league this season too. According to xG, most keepers would have conceded three more goals than he has, given the shots he has faced.
In possession
In possession, Le Bris mostly opts for a positional style of play, meaning he wants his team to occupy certain zones on the pitch. Different players can rotate to occupy these spaces but generally the same spaces have a player within them.
From the goalkeeper, Sunderland often build up from the back, using the quality of their defenders and midfielders to help them get up the pitch. They typically do this by spreading their back four wide with the keeper standing between both central defenders before Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki dart deep showing for the ball from central midfield positions.
They aren't, however, afraid to go long and often look for Wilson Isidor in a route one fashion, particularly against an impressive opposition press or from winning positions.
Once Sunderland have established possession, they then look to break teams down. The central midfielders mentioned can drop into the defensive line to get on the ball with more time and space, which is a smart use of their skillset.
With more time on the ball, Xhaka is able to dictate play from deep, often playing inch-perfect switches of play to the wingers, getting them in one-on-one situations.
It is worth mentioning centre-back Omar Alderete, who played for Getafe last season. During that campaign he was the most 'incisive' passer when compared with all central defenders with more than 15 games played. He ranked first for the percentage of recoveries he turned into progressive passes.
His front-footed nature in possession has certainly helped Sunderland get up the pitch this season and individually, his ability to be deceptive in pretending to pass it towards one side before fizzing it forward at a different angle has made him one of the club's standout players.
In the final third, most of their play is centred around getting into good crossing positions in the wide areas. The full-backs are vital to this either through overlapping the winger, putting in crosses themselves, or underlapping and acting as support for the winger.
Xhaka again smartly moves towards the flank with both the full-back and winger and is usually positioned well to cross it in first-time following a lay-off.
These triangles ensure Sunderland have a dangerous threat out wide and rotations between these players make their threat less predictable.
Trai Hume's versatility out wide on both flanks, or inverting, has enabled much of this attacking threat. Against Chelsea he started in a wide defensive position off the ball in Sunderland's back five but in possession, Sunderland moved into a 4-3-3 with Hume playing as one of the attacking midfielders.
From winning positions, we know that Sunderland press less and block space deeper. When this happens they look to play long. They're able to sit in the defensive shape for large parts of games because they have individuals who are able to carry the ball up the pitch, relieving pressure on the defence. They can also progress the ball through long passing up to the strikers.
And as Premier League football has trended this season, Sunderland have made sure to make set-piece threat an important part of their game with goals coming from well-worked routines from corners, free-kicks and the use of long throws.
Conclusions
For the sake of this article, out-of-possession and in-possession phases of play are separate sections but Le Bris has said he wants to "link the phases" of his system – having his players see the system as a whole rather than individual parts.
When Sunderland have the ball, they are conscious of how they will defend and have players behind the ball ready to cover if they are to lose the ball. When they play direct, the team looks to move up together reducing spaces between defence, midfield and attack, again to ensure they are better prepared defensively.
What is clear in this analysis is that Sunderland are both balanced and well-drilled. They have solutions to numerous problems and move between these set-ups fairly seamlessly, whether that be defending with a back four or five, whether that means pressing high or defending deep, and whether that means playing slowly and with possession or attacking directly.
Their position in the table accurately reflects the quality they've shown so far this season.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c33pmzxl8yko
Football tactics correspondent
If Sunderland beat Everton on Monday they will move from seventh to second in the Premier League - five points behind leaders Arsenal.
With 10 games gone, more attention is paid to the standings and it's fair to say that at the start of the season few pundits would have had the Black Cats hovering around the Champions League places.
So, how have the unassuming Regis le Bris and his overhauled Sunderland side managed to be the surprise package so far this season?
Here we analyse their tactics both in and out of possession - and the ways they have found success using them.
Out of possession
Le Bris' tactical variety is evident in Sunderland's out-of-possession play this season. Though they have been difficult to break down defensively, that hasn't only been by defending deep.
Sunderland tend to begin aggressively. Le Bris instructs his players to press high, often in a man-to-man fashion, and their ability to execute this has been impressive.
Newly promoted teams are reluctant to defend in this way because getting it wrong leaves you more exposed, with individuals needing to cover larger distances alone. With the speed of the Premier League, Sunderland's decision to adopt this approach following promotion is brave but has paid off for them.
In their 2-1 win at Chelsea on 25 October, their man-to-man high press forced their hosts back. The press often aimed to force Chelsea towards their left given they lacked a left-footer in central defence. This reduced the success of the Blues' build-up play from the back.
Sunderland apply this high press when opponents take their goal-kicks but have shown a willingness to jump as a team and press in a man-to-man fashion, often using back passes as the trigger for the team to press together.
This pressure is occasionally bypassed. When Sunderland are pushed deeper, they then take a mostly zonal approach to defending, commonly blocking space in a 4-4-2 shape. Against Chelsea, and later against Manchester United, they blocked space using a back five - reinforcing their ability to adapt.
Their deeper defensive shape is incredibly strong, too, and being able to have the same 11 players do both approaches in the same game to a high level poses lots of problems for opponents.
In their deeper defensive shape, Le Bris' men aren't solely zonal defenders and do apply pressure to individual opponents near them, reducing the time they have on the ball.
If the ball is eventually played into the box, the central defenders have proven themselves as strong individual duellers. Robin Roefs has prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper in the league this season too. According to xG, most keepers would have conceded three more goals than he has, given the shots he has faced.
In possession
In possession, Le Bris mostly opts for a positional style of play, meaning he wants his team to occupy certain zones on the pitch. Different players can rotate to occupy these spaces but generally the same spaces have a player within them.
From the goalkeeper, Sunderland often build up from the back, using the quality of their defenders and midfielders to help them get up the pitch. They typically do this by spreading their back four wide with the keeper standing between both central defenders before Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki dart deep showing for the ball from central midfield positions.
They aren't, however, afraid to go long and often look for Wilson Isidor in a route one fashion, particularly against an impressive opposition press or from winning positions.
Once Sunderland have established possession, they then look to break teams down. The central midfielders mentioned can drop into the defensive line to get on the ball with more time and space, which is a smart use of their skillset.
With more time on the ball, Xhaka is able to dictate play from deep, often playing inch-perfect switches of play to the wingers, getting them in one-on-one situations.
It is worth mentioning centre-back Omar Alderete, who played for Getafe last season. During that campaign he was the most 'incisive' passer when compared with all central defenders with more than 15 games played. He ranked first for the percentage of recoveries he turned into progressive passes.
His front-footed nature in possession has certainly helped Sunderland get up the pitch this season and individually, his ability to be deceptive in pretending to pass it towards one side before fizzing it forward at a different angle has made him one of the club's standout players.
In the final third, most of their play is centred around getting into good crossing positions in the wide areas. The full-backs are vital to this either through overlapping the winger, putting in crosses themselves, or underlapping and acting as support for the winger.
Xhaka again smartly moves towards the flank with both the full-back and winger and is usually positioned well to cross it in first-time following a lay-off.
These triangles ensure Sunderland have a dangerous threat out wide and rotations between these players make their threat less predictable.
Trai Hume's versatility out wide on both flanks, or inverting, has enabled much of this attacking threat. Against Chelsea he started in a wide defensive position off the ball in Sunderland's back five but in possession, Sunderland moved into a 4-3-3 with Hume playing as one of the attacking midfielders.
From winning positions, we know that Sunderland press less and block space deeper. When this happens they look to play long. They're able to sit in the defensive shape for large parts of games because they have individuals who are able to carry the ball up the pitch, relieving pressure on the defence. They can also progress the ball through long passing up to the strikers.
And as Premier League football has trended this season, Sunderland have made sure to make set-piece threat an important part of their game with goals coming from well-worked routines from corners, free-kicks and the use of long throws.
Conclusions
For the sake of this article, out-of-possession and in-possession phases of play are separate sections but Le Bris has said he wants to "link the phases" of his system – having his players see the system as a whole rather than individual parts.
When Sunderland have the ball, they are conscious of how they will defend and have players behind the ball ready to cover if they are to lose the ball. When they play direct, the team looks to move up together reducing spaces between defence, midfield and attack, again to ensure they are better prepared defensively.
What is clear in this analysis is that Sunderland are both balanced and well-drilled. They have solutions to numerous problems and move between these set-ups fairly seamlessly, whether that be defending with a back four or five, whether that means pressing high or defending deep, and whether that means playing slowly and with possession or attacking directly.
Their position in the table accurately reflects the quality they've shown so far this season.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c33pmzxl8yko
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It wouldnt be a shock to me either way, i like that nobody is guaranteed to play.
(well apart from xhaka)
Being secomd has a nice ring to it but being 9 clear of Leeds amd Burnley amd 13 clear of thr drop zone has a nicer one
Nothing RLB does is a big surprise or a concern tbh, the players know the crack. I think Traoré will play and Ballard will drop out if Aldarete is fit …
… but as you say I could be wrong with all that.