Jason Denayer endured a torrid time in the Sunderland midfield after being given the nod ahead of N’Dong.
The bell is tolling for David Moyes and Sunderland. And, after another dismal defeat characterised by an anonymous approach to attacking, The Chronicle reports that the Scot only has himself to blame.
Or, more likely, the fans will blame Moyes while he scrambles around for another schoolboy excuse to add to the growing list. Having said that, it would certainly help the Sunderland’s cause if their manager decided to pick the club’s most talented midfielder occasionally.
Didier N’Dong may not have come close to justifying his reported £13.6 million price tag in his debut Premier League season, but he is by far Sunderland’s most effective midfielder.
A week after being dropped to the bench for that anaemic goalless draw with Burnley – Moyes citing the desire for ‘Britishness’ in his midfield – the Gabon international was again excluded from the starting XI against Watford.
Yet, after coming off the bench with half an hour to go, N’Dong was arguably Sunderland’s most influential player. Unfortunately, the Black Cats were already a goal down by that point.
And the fact that Moyes insisted on playing Jason Denayer, a natural centre-back masquerading as a defensive midfielder, over the summer signing only adds to the supporters’ ire. Of the Sunderland starters, only goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who again saved the Black Cats from humiliation, posted a poorer pass completion rate than Denayer (55%). Meanwhile, despite shunting a defender into midfield to apparently add more steel, the fact that the Belgian managed one tackle in 90 minutes speaks volumes.
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