#2 Sunderland need to change tactics and not manager (yet!)
David Moyes is out of ideas. He looks tactically inept and has no idea how to organize a defence. But these are things we knew already didn’t we? There are players in his starting eleven who look like they still aren’t back from holiday. Add to that, the fact that so many of his players simply aren’t going to cut it in the Premier League or need a serious talking to and one can’t just help but feel that the clock is ticking for Mr. Moyes.
To start off; Lamine Kone needs to grace the bench for a bit. The central defender looks like he has all the depth perception of a dead Emu and one of the many ways to get past him on the football pitch is to simply walk past.
There is also the pressing need to play a big man for Defoe to play off. For Defoe to thrive, he needs to get behind defenders and link up with someone who can bring the ball down for him. Maybe Anichebe deserves to be looked at. Because against Stoke, the Sunderland players looked like headless chickens who deserved to be beaten by more than the final tally of two goals.
Finally, it is time for Sunderland to play five at the back. When a team concedes so frequently, it means that there has been a loss of structure. Time for Moyes to really really really really give a 3-5-2 a long and hard think. It would bring the best out of Defoe, Januzaj, and Lens whilst not over-exposing the midfield.
