Sunderland’s EFL Cup adventure is over, after the League One side were beaten by Championship opponents Sheffield Wednesday at the Stadium of Light
Sunderland played pretty well in their EFL Cup first round clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Thursday night.
But when you’re wasteful in attack and make the kind of horror mistakes that Alim Ozturk made at the other end, you can’t really complain about finishing on the wrong end of a 2-0 scoreline.
On the upside, however, the patient, possession based style of play brought in by manager Jack Ross is starting to take shape and a number of Sunderland’s new signings are already making a positive impact. The jury, however, is very much still out on Luke O’Nien.
The 24-year-old moved to Wearside from AFC Wimbledon, and has featured in all three of Sunderland’s games in 2018/19 – starting against Wednesday.
And while some supporters were impressed with his clear determination and tendency for the crunching tackle, others have pointed out that he is yet to have a real impact on his new side – although O’Nien has not been helped by being played out of position on the right wing.
With Lee Cattermole seemingly set to leave, Sunderland need a committed and forceful midfielder like O’Nien. But if Ross wants his team to take the game to the opposition, O’Nien has a lot to learn.
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