Sunderland returned to the Stadium of Gentle for the small matter of a Put on-Tyne Derby on Sunday — our first league assembly since Sunderland’s 1-1 draw at St James Park again in 2016.
In a sport devoid of many moments of high quality, how did Régis Le Bris revert to sort in an effort to nullify Newcastle and seize the bragging rights heading into 2026?
Sunderland Lineup
Following defeat to Manchester Metropolis, Le Bris was left with choices to make however throughout his Friday press convention, he confirmed that apart from Habib Diarra — who stays per week away from motion — he had a completely match squad accessible for choice.
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Regardless of having sustained success utilising a “5 on the again” system this season, Le Bris made one other daring transfer and opted to change again to his conventional 4-3-3/4-4-2 system, which served us so effectively through the 2024/2025 marketing campaign.
Having watched Newcastle battle towards a Bayer Leverkusen crew who performed with a again 5 through the week, because the groups had been introduced it took me abruptly — and confirmed Le Bris was keen to match Newcastle’s midfield man for man.
A change in form noticed two modifications made as Trai Hume dropped out for the returning Reinildo. Up entrance, Brian Brobbey was given one other probability to start out after his spectacular efficiency at Anfield one week prior.
Given the absence of Joelinton paired with the physicality of the Newcastle defenders, Brobbey was more likely to come out on high within the duels and subsequently Wilson Isidor was favoured towards tiring legs.
Guests’ Lineup
Following a midweek slog towards Xhaka’s former employers, Eddie Howe was anticipated to not less than make one change because of an harm sustained by Joelinton and subsequently Lewis Miley got here in to exchange him.
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Out huge, Anthony Elanga was named as a alternative for Harvey Barnes after his midweek struggles, with Aaron Ramsdale retaining his place in purpose because of Nick Pope’s harm points.
Eddie Howe set Newcastle up in very a lot the identical method he’s been accustomed to for a number of years now, working in a 4-3-3 each out and in of possession.
Howe depends on excessive urgent and overloading the wings to create excessive turnovers and possibilities in transition. Utilising his midfield trio, he goals to push his full backs into the ultimate third, overload the huge areas and flash crosses alongside the face of purpose for his or her central striker.
As Newcastle are a crew that primarily look to take advantage of transitions — as do Sunderland — it stays necessary to the success of each groups that they set off the opponent’s press to take advantage of their excessive traces and compact form. Subsequently, seeing Sunderland match up shape-wise should’ve made Howe rub his palms collectively previous to kick off.
As sport acquired underway, Sunderland had been handed possession and it was made pretty clear that the guests had been completely happy to ask stress with the intention of hitting us in transition.
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Clocking up a whopping 59% possession within the first half — over 15% larger than their common at 42.3% — it grew to become a sluggish tempo sport of cat and mouse, with either side laying traps for the opposite to fall into.
For Newcastle, each wingers had been prepared to leap into the half area in the intervening time both Dan Ballard or Omar Alderete stepped into midfield — with the latter’s early nerves leading to fast turnovers and half possibilities for Newcastle that fortunately didn’t result in a shot.
From a Sunderland perspective, Noah Sadiki went man-for-man on Bruno Guimarães with Granit Xhaka laterally urgent onto Sandro Tonali while the ball was on the ground, earlier than doubling up on second contacts with Nick Woltemade every time the ball was airborne.
For context, within the first half, either side mixed for forty 9 duels gained — Sunderland profitable twenty 4 at 49% success while Newcastle gained twenty 5 at 51%, exhibiting simply what number of particular person battles had been going down in an effort to set up management.
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While Sunderland retained the ball, either side defended overly cautiously to stop the opposite from exploiting transitional areas, and so probability creation from open-play construct up was sparse.
With solely 4 pictures taken in the entire first half, each groups mixed for a complete of 0.26 xG, with Sunderland producing the one probability of observe through a Ballard header.
In a sport the place either side regarded set on not giving something away by their defensive form, the one method we had been going to see a purpose was by a set piece or second of particular person genius.
Given Sunderland’s dominance from attacking set items, Newcastle had been trying to moments of particular person high quality to see them by this one and fewer than 100 seconds into the second half, they acquired it.
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Following a protracted throw from Nordi Mukiele, the ball was recycled by Xhaka and regardless of a reluctance to cross within the first half, Mukiele didn’t hesitate and whipped a teasing ball onto the top of Nick Woltemade — with towering German inadvertently powering a bullet header off the crossbar and sending the stadium into raptures.
Though unfortunate for Newcastle, we’d been hesitant to cross through the first half regardless of being given quite a few alternatives because of the positioning of the German ahead in relation to the attacking runners.
The second half noticed Sunderland take the initiative and gamble by making use of concerted stress on the Newcastle gamers which induced the second of insanity, it was nonetheless a second of candy launch to savour.
Newcastle original the same second when a deflected Reinildo cross simply evaded the boot of Yoanne Wissa, however in a sport of fantastic margins, generally one second suggestions the steadiness.
One reservation of many neutrals working into this sport was whether or not Sunderland’s successfully new crew of non-locals might channel the fervour and understanding required to rise to the event, nevertheless it have to be stated that on the day, just one aspect regarded up for the combat.
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In defence, Reinildo was once more excellent, profitable 6/8 duels, Ballard profitable 4/7 aerial duels and Robin Roefs making some implausible excessive claims — together with a 17.9 yard declare in such nonchalant vogue.
In midfield, Enzo Le Fée had arguably his most industrious sport, masking each blade of grass laterally in his press together with a scrumptious Cruyff flip and nutmeg on Lewis Corridor.
Xhaka and Sadiki mixed for 9/10 duel wins — together with a 100% success fee aerially towards their midfield counterparts, with Brian Brobbey additionally inflicting havoc for the Newcastle backline.
Particular observe goes to Le Bris for his number of Brobbey on this one, as with out Joelinton there to guard his defenders, Brobbey was in a position to drop deeper and maintain up the play magnificently towards the weaker Newcastle gamers, displaying some nice hyperlink up play and shut management with balls being drilled into him from all angles while additionally drawing 4 fouls, probably the most of any participant within the match.
By lining up in equivalent shapes, Sunderland had been trying to combat fireplace with fireplace of their try and stifle Newcastle’s strongest property within the centre of the pitch.
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Each groups function with a single pivot that appears to behave as a deeper, orchestrating playmaker, whereas the opposite two act extra industriously and combatively, preventing fires wherever they seem.
Sadiki was in a position to go man-for-man on Bruno Guimarães and jockey him at each attainable flip, stopping the Newcastle captain from gaining a second to breathe when in our last third. Likewise, Le Fée was in a position to monitor Lewis Miley wherever he roamed and utilised his smaller measurement to drop into pockets and hyperlink up the play with Brobbey and the 2 wingers.
Xhaka performed a hybrid position and while he was zonally working from a defensive standpoint, he would usually press up excessive onto Tonali to make life uncomfortable for the midfielder, usually discovering himself because the midfielder furthest ahead, main the press when Newcastle retained possession through the second half.
In all honesty, each groups might’ve performed for one more hour throughout that second half and neither would’ve scored once more. Though Sunderland loved a five-minute spell following the purpose by which they flashed balls into the field, it wasn’t till the seventieth minute that Wilson Isidor managed to check Ramsdale once more.
Le Bris instructed his aspect to drop into that compact 4-4-2 form off the ball, encouraging Newcastle to launch crosses into the field with the protection of his central defenders and for Roefs to take the sting out of all hazard.
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While they had been completely happy to give up possession, Newcastle not often threatened and other than the aforementioned deflected cross from Reinildo, they didn’t drive Roefs into making any significant saves.
In true Le Bris vogue, Sunderland confirmed that when we set up a lead, we’re very industrious and troublesome to interrupt down. We additionally love defending and a wonderfully executed reducer from Trai Hume within the closing levels showcased that fantastically — and it additionally helped that I acquired a implausible view of it.
Though not the sexiest sport on this planet from a soccer purist’s viewpoint, it was gritty, scrappy and excellent throwback to what a derby sport must be.
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Sunderland’s AFCON-selected gamers will now head to Morocco with a weight off their shoulders and likely itching to rejoin the remainder of the group in January, having left their teammates in a implausible place to proceed over the festive interval.
With 4 factors already taken from our “nightmarish” December, we flip to Brighton and Leeds as we glance to finish 2025 on a excessive.