Sunderland could rely on one key man to prevent defeat against Leeds United this evening.
Sunderland put on an absolute tactical masterclass when they beat Leeds United 1-0 back in December.
It was Mike Dodds‘ second game in charge during his second stint as interim coach, having just beaten West Brom days earlier.
Fans were left baffled when the 37-year-old adopted a 3-4-3 formation, with Alex Pritchard taking up the No.9 role – but it actually worked.
Leeds dominated possession but were unable to break them down, and Sunderland eventually managed to snatch the winner through Jobe Bellingham.
Those were the days when Dodds was seen as a master tactician, but the standards have dramatically dropped during his third spell in charge.
The Black Cats face a much tougher trip to Elland Road now, with their opposition battling it out for the Championship title.
Sunderland have won only one of their last ten games and were recently thrashed 5-1 by Blackburn Rovers – a team fighting relegation.
Sunderland can rely on one of the best ‘in the league’
The Wearside outfit could quite easily roll over and get hammered even further tonight, but they may be able to rely on one player to keep their feisty attackers quiet.
The Whites have an undeniably terrifying attack, with Crysencio Summerville, Dan James and Joel Piroe scoring 43 goals between them this season.
Our defence needs to be at their best to prevent any of them scoring tonight, but the one man who could be key to keeping them out is Trai Hume.
The Northern Ireland international has succeeded with the most tackles in the Championship this term, and he did brilliantly to nullify the threat of Summerville in their last meeting.
Hume made three clearances, two blocks, four interceptions and four tackles in the reverse fixture at the Stadium of Light, while it was only the second time the Dutchman had failed to pick up a goal contribution in eight games – while he went onto score in each of the following two.
Can he be the catalyst for an upset at Elland Road?
While it is unclear whether Dodds will change up the formation again today, Hume will remain a key player in keeping out their tricky attackers.
When the ‘super’ 22-year-old is at his best, we usually manage to put on a fairly solid defensive display.
When he is struggling – like against Newcastle United – it becomes very obvious, and the rest of the defence seem to follow.
Like in December, we won’t be relying on our own attack to create chances and cause problems for them, but instead we need our defensive to form a brick wall and for the likes of Hume to then set us up on the counter-attack.
It all feels very unlikely given our terrible form, but Hume is certainly a perfect match for Summerville.