Sunderland duo must never start together again

Regis Le Bris must have been wondering what else he had to do to see his side claw their way back into the game against Dinamo Zagreb.

In many ways, it sums up life for the Sunderland boss of late, who is a man under pressure and a man desperately hoping to avoid the deadly fate of second-season syndrome.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Defeat against Zagreb certainly won’t help on that front, but a disastrous first-half handed the Black Cats an impossible task at what feels like an impossible time.

How Sunderland fell to defeat against Dinamo Zagreb

After choosing to stick with what they have for the majority of the summer, there were natural concerns about how Sunderland would balance European commitments with domestic action. And those concerns have reared their head more than ever in the last seven days, with defeat at Coventry City in the Premier League followed up by a night to forget against Zagreb.

The visitors wasted no time before compiling Sunderland’s misery, either. Wearside watched on as Luka Stojković fired home inside 30 minutes.

A helpless Robin Roefs could only watch on as the midfielder fired home inside 30 minutes in what has become a far too familiar sight on Wearside recently.

The first-half misery didn’t end there, either. Dion Beljo did not hesitate to double his side’s lead when Kevin Danso’s clearance could only go as far as the edge of the area.

The defender is struggling to adapt to life at Sunderland and a disappointing Europa League display has deepened his woes.

Why Le Bris must end Danso and Alderete partnership

Danso’s misery is well known at this stage, but the form of centre-back partner Omar Alderete isn’t helping his case.

As a defensive duo, neither have provided the defensive foundation that Nordi Mukiele and Dan Ballard did so well to build in the last campaign and it’s a major issue for Le Bris.

Ballard is reportedly edging closer to a return from training and that provides some much-needed hope. For the time being, however, Le Bris simply has to find a way to end Danso and Alderete’s time together in his backline.

Making just two tackles between them and falling short courtesy of Danso’s individual error, it’s becoming clearer by the week where one of Sunderland’s biggest liabilities lies.

Unfortunately for the Black Cats, another issue entirely reared its head against Zagreb.

Sunderland must never start 3/10 duo together again

In defence, there were calamities for the umpteenth time. Le Bris is failing to find the right combo on that front. But the same can be said for his midfield.

With Habib Diarra set to miss the next six weeks of action and some incredibly important games, including the Tyne-Wear derby against Newcastle United, Sunderland have Jules Ahoka, Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki to choose from. None are grabbing hold of their opportunities with any real force.

REUTERS/Scott Heppell

Xhaka is beginning to show his age, with his running numbers down, Sadiki is threatening to become a one-season wonder, and Ahoka is yet to play more than 30 minutes in the Premier League.

Le Bris deserves credit for attempting change against Zagreb, but it simply didn’t work out.

It was telling that Xhaka and Ahoka’s partnership started and ended within 45 minutes, as the latter was hooked in brutal fashion.

With a big few weeks ahead and with his job potentially on the line, Le Bris has to find a solution to his midfield woes. It’s become clear, however, that the answer does not lie with Xhaka and Ahoka.