Pienaar has worked under Moyes at Everton prior to be signed by the Scot at Sunderland.
Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko in action with Sunderland’s Steven Pienaar
Sunderland’s Steven Pienaar has admitted to Sky Sports that he’s seen changes in manager David Moyes from the time they spent together at Everton.
Since Moyes left Everton, he went on to have two managerial spells that didn’t work out for him – at Manchester United and then Real Sociedad.
Pienaar thinks that Moyes’s approach has become a little softer, telling Sky Sports: “I’d say he’s gone a bit soft! It used to be when you walked in the dressing room you didn’t even want to look at him but now he is more open, more relaxed and calm.
Sunderland manager David Moyes before the match
“I think he’s changed since going to Spain, and I think he’s learned you need to be more open with the players.
“But he still has got that bite in him! It’s good for the team, he’s an honest manager and he wants everyone to work hard for him.”
Whether it has changed him for the better remains to be seen when it comes to the job at Sunderland. So far the only wins have come against sides in the lower divisions in the EFL Cup, and the Black Cats have only picked up the one point from their opening five games. Maybe Pienaar is suggesting another string was added to his bow during his experience at Sociedad.
Sunderland’s Steven Pienaar in action with Southampton’s Nathan Redmond
Moyes’s man-management may have changed as a result but he faces a similar job to the one he walked into at Everton in terms of a side that is trying to find some stability and preserve it’s top flight status – and then build from there.
It seems that Moyes doesn’t carry the same kind of fear for Pienaar that he did during his time at Everton. It’s hard to say it has been reflected in his style, or the type of job he has been tasked to do.
Sunderland manager David Moyes
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