It’s safe to say that before December, Sunderland were looking at times like a team who weren’t prepared to fight a battle against relegation, let alone mix it in the European places in the top half of the table. Their poor run of form going into the winter was confounded by their dejected performances and lack of conviction on the field. No real in-form goalscorer and a lack of creative spark meant that Sunderland had become a pretty uninspiring team to watch when match day came around.
When Martin O’Neill came in at the start of December, there was an immediate turnaround. Whether it be due to a change around in structure, routine and instructions, or a direct result of O’Neill’s tactics and management, something clicked on the pitch. The team looked more organised as a unit, more determined and focused on getting victories, with an air of confidence and enjoyment in the way they began to play.
It was almost as if they knew they had the ability and the players to produce good performances and please the fans, but they just needed a fresh start and some new motivation to bring out the best in them. When you look at the performances of the players since their reversal in fortunes, one person in particular stands out for me, and that is Stephane Sessegnon.
If there’s one player in the Premiership right now that is enjoying his football and confidently performing at the top of his game, it’s Sessegnon. He appeared to have all he attributes to be a great asset to Sunderland when he joined at the beginning of last year, but he started off his time in England looking a like a fish out of water, before slowly improving.
Put this into the new context of players around him who seem assured in the way they are playing and he now looks like an instrumental threat in their attack. In the build-up to his goal against Norwich in midweek, you can see the team lift when Stephane picks the ball up in midfield and sets off towards goal.
Its as though they expect an attack to build to a chance now, rather than hope. He went on to knock it past the defender and pace away in the explosive manor he does, showing the technique and vision to play it out wide with the outside of his right foot, whilst keeping up his run into the box to eventually head in the goal.
It’s one thing getting a new manager after a bad set of results, but it’s ultimately down to the players to benefit from the impact and change their fortunes by upping their game on the pitch. Having someone like Sessegnon in the ranks makes it so much easier to benefit from these changes because its clear to see when they play that he drives the team forward.
The best way to improve confidence on the field is to keep creating chances and having efforts on goal in threatening areas, and Sessegnon has been key to this with his movement, pace and passing. You can also see the effect on the team’s confidence in the shots they have been taking. Gardner, Larsson and Sessegnon have all scored some audacious efforts recently, along with Frazier Campbell on Wednesday night who looked re-invigorated after a long spell out by coming into a team with momentum.
The longer Sunderland can play for with no fear, the more they should be able to build on what they have achieved under Martin O’Neill. Although he is making Steve Bruce look like a bit of a mug right now, its all about the long term future of the club and the base they can create to move them up the table and get them in the right place come the end of the season. But when you’ve got people like Sessegnon in your squad playing with the freedom energy and tenacity like we’ve seen in the past few weeks, its going to take a lot to halt their run.
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