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Sunderland showed true team unity at Brighton and Hove Albion to pick up a hard-fought point.
It wasn’t the prettiest display, far from it, as the Black Cats had to settle for a 0-0 stalemate on the south coast.
But, with six digits in Régis Le Bris‘ camp now at the Africa Cup of Nations, it was still a positive sign that Wearside’s fighters will continue to work hard for each other, even if their ranks are a little decimated.
In particular, Daniel Ballard stood out once again for his tough-to-break defensive presence, as the former Arsenal centre-back continues to impress this season for the team. Premier League new arrivals.
Ballard’s outstanding performances in the Premier League
In a summer marked by many changes at the Stadium of Light in terms of arrivals, Ballard has managed to remain in Le Bris’ first team plans, having first joined the ranks in the 2022/23 Championship season.
Now he looks every bit the part of a Premier League caliber defender, with a player of the match accolade arriving even at the end of the boring draw at the Amex, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley hailing him as the Sunderland player. “star player” the day.
The numbers also back up all the wild praise, as the Northern Ireland international struggled at the end of the competition with 16 duels and tackles won, while misplacing just five of his 46 passes as a calming influence at the heart of the Black Cats’ stout defence.
He even had two attempts on target at Bart Verbruggen’s well-protected goal, with Ballard standing out throughout the season as “one of the great characters of the field” according to former Manchester United defender Phil Jones, scoring two goals – including one against his former employers at Arsenal – and also winning 6.3 duels resolved per league match.
He made the move from the Championship to the Premier League a breeze; therefore, Le Bris hopes to have another Ballard on his hands in this equally combative figure, who could become an even more crucial part of the French team, with the CAN underway.
Sunderland’s new Ballard
Having splashed out £162m on new signings this summer, Sunderland will also be pleased to know that a large proportion of their promotion heroes have made the move with ease, thanks to those flashy signings stealing all the limelight.
With Reinildo in Morocco with Mozambique in the coming weeks, Trai Hume has a real opportunity to show Le Bris that he is also a Ballard type figure; being an energetic and reliable defender, cut out for the lights of the Premier League.
|
Hume’s numbers against Brighton |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistical |
Hume |
|
Minutes played |
90 |
|
Keys |
53 |
|
Precise passes |
21/25 (84%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Precise crossings |
1/1 |
|
Tackles won |
5/7 |
|
Interceptions |
1 |
|
Clearances |
4 |
|
Blocked shots |
0 |
|
Recoveries |
5 |
|
Total duels won |
16/10 |
|
Statistics by Couch Score |
|
He has been Sunderland’s main starter at right-back this season, having been a reliable face to rely on during the Black Cats’ playoff run, but his importance to the cause will rise further now, to rival Ballard’s status as one of the first names on the team sheet, as he made an admirable shift at left-back against the Seagulls, in the absence of Reinildo.
Indeed, the versatile 23-year-old lived up to his label of “warrior” which was presented to him by his second division manager, after he won 15 tackles and duels to preserve Robin Roefs’ clean sheet.
What’s more, he also had flashes of attacking impetus, much like Ballard, with a key shot and pass saved, with the former Lorient manager surely feeling less worried now about the former Atletico Madrid defender’s absence, knowing he has a fan favorite in Hume who can step in when needed.
Costing just £200,000 to secure from Linfield in early 2022, it’s clear that the £45,000 per week The full-back is a bargain who was bought as Sunderland were deteriorating in the Championship, which has now paid off with Ballard also costing just £2m to win against the Gunners.
Le Bris will want improvements in the attacking department, with Nick Woltemade’s own goal the only strike Sunderland have been able to encourage in the last two games.
But he won’t be unhappy with the Black Cats’ defensive acumen, as Ballard and Hume aim to start more games together over the busy winter period ahead, to lead their well-drilled side to many more well-contested points.
