Sunderland had two clear options to play at left-back against Brentford, yet their manager went with a third. It did not end well.
It was clear despite Sunderland’s comeback to 3-3 at Bristol City a week earlier that Chris Coleman would have to make changes to his team against Brentford.
The Black Cats had shown their defensive frailties in a woeful first half at Ashton Gate, with two young centre-backs failing to protect John O’Shea in a hopeless back three.
The assumption was that Coleman would revert back to a four-man defence and that’s exactly what he did.
But the end result was not quite what Coleman or the Sunderland fans would have hoped for.
Bryan Oviedo dropped out of the matchday squad according to “tactical” reasons – per the manager, as reported by the Chronicle – while Adam Matthews started the game on the bench.
And so Sunderland lined up with Jake Clarke-Salter – a centre-back – on the left-hand side of defence and they paid the penalty as Brentford made hay on that side.
Oviedo is a natural in the position and offers something at the other end of the pitch, while Matthews has also impressed on the left. The decision to leave out both was a bizarre one.
For the second week running, Sunderland held their own in the second half. This time, against a team that did not crumble like Bristol City, there was simply too much to do.
Coleman’s substitutions are changing games, but it appears this is only because his team selection is consistently wrong.
Sunderland cannot afford to continue to forfeit the first 45 minutes as relegation becomes a real possibility.
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