da betano casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da wazamba： Sunderland have struggled of late but they stand a good chance of winning tonight if Phil Parkinson gets a key tactic right and exploits Burton accordingly.
On the chalkboard
The Black cats have weak aspects to their game themselves, but since those issues mainly lie in attack they should be able to deal with the threat posed by the visitors tonight, particularly as they have only scored 18 goals in 15 league games.
Another point of weakness of Nigel Clough’s side is their ability on the ball. The Brewers have averaged a pass accuracy of just 70%, which shows they can be got at when in possession.
Phil Parkinson has to make his players aware of that fact, and instruct them to close down their opponents with greater intensity, especially the defenders.
Such pressure could cause a mistake which leads to a Sunderland goal, but failing that it should at least rush Burton in their decision making, and lead them to concede possession easily, which will lead to the home side dominating the ball – making it more likely for them to find a breakthrough.
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Change in personnel?
If Parkinson is to adopt a high-press strategy for this clash he may be best suited to making a few changes to his starting lineup.
Players with more pace like Duncan Watmore and Benji Kimpioka could be drafted into the side with good effect, replacing the maligned Chris Maguire or Aiden McGeady.
That would allow the Black Cats to defend from the front, and perhaps ensure that the majority of the game is played in the opponent’s half, which would keep them pinned down and allow Sunderland to pile on the pressure.
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With that in mind, it may also be useful to recall Marc McNulty to the side. He has built up a reputation over the years as a hard-working forward, and such work rate and desire could prove very useful in shutting down defenders.
All but one Burton defender has a pass accuracy lower than 70%. If Parkinson doesn’t attempt to exploit that it would be a missed opportunity, and Sunderland could once again find themselves in a position where they’re struggling to break a team down, as the visitors have only conceded 16 league goals this season.
Meanwhile, Parkinson has also been going wrong by repeating this simple failure throughout his tenure so far.