Duncan Watmore gave a poor showing in Sunderland’s 3-0 defeat to Everton.
On a horrible night for Sunderland, Duncan Watmore was one of many players who came out of the game with zero positives.
The youngster came back into the team in place of Fabio Borini, but was ineffective throughout the game, before he was replaced by new man Didier Ndong in the 73rd minute.
Sunderland’s Duncan Watmore in action with Everton’s Leighton Baines
Watmore has often been a threat when coming off the bench due to his energy and dribbling ability, but the 22-year-old has been given a chance to start games this season, but has done little to repay the faith put in him by David Moyes.
The performance from Sunderland’s number 14 against Everton frustrated many red and white supporters, and the stats show why:
| Shots | Chances created | Passing accuracy | Attempted dribbles | Successful dribbles | Total crosses | Crossing accuracy | No. of times possession was lost | Mins played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan Watmore v Everton | 1 | 0 | 55% | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0% | 13 | 73 |
Sunderland need Watmore to be their creative spark, along with Adnan Januzaj, to create chances for Jermain Defoe, who has little to feed on this season, despite already having two goals to his name.
The most worrying stat is the amount of times Watmore gave away possession. The winger gave away the ball 13 times during the game, and recorded a passing accuracy of 55%. More than half of his dribbles failed and his crosses never found a red and white shirt.
Sunderland’s Duncan Watmore in action with Middlesbrough’s Adam Forshaw
During his 73 minutes on the pitch, Watmore failed to create a single chance for his teammates.
This is not the first time this season that Watmore has proven to be wasteful from the off, with the England Under-21 international having similar problems in the Wear-Tees derby against Middlesbrough.
| Shots | Chances created | Passing accuracy | Attempted dribbles | Successful dribbles | Total crosses | Crossing accuracy | No. of times possession was lost | Mins played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duncan Watmore v Middlesbrough | 1 | 1 | 63% | 9 | 5 | 2 | 50% | 18 | 81 |
Watmore was slightly more successful with his passing and crossing, but still proved to waste possession on too many occasions.
Sunderland certainly have a talented player on their books, but he clearly is not ready to be starting Premier League games. Watmore would be better used off the bench, but Sunderland’s limited attacking options may make it difficult for Moyes to drop the winger.
Sunderland’s Duncan Watmore in action with Middlesbrough’s Emilio Nsue
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