When Sunderland gets ready to welcome Plymouth Argyle to Wearside this afternoon, they will be playing in the Championship at the Stadium of Light once more.
Against Ian Foster’s team today, the Black Cats, who have only triumphed in one of their previous five games across all competitions, will be looking to get back on track.
In the upcoming weeks and months, Michael Beale will need to put in a lot of effort to get his squad back on track if he wants to push back into the top six and guarantee play-off football.
Despite having one game in hand over the Tigers, Sunderland is presently eighth in the Championship table, one point behind Hull in sixth.
Following the Black Cats’ 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough last time out, Beale is now required to make at least one alteration to the starting lineup, inserting Nazariy Rusyn in place of Mason Burstow at the top of the pitch.
He might create a thrilling connection with Jack Clarke in the closing third, and the Chelsea loanee—whose performances have been lacking thus far this season—should be sent to the bench.
This season’s troubles for Mason Burstow
The 20-year-old marksman has not shown himself to be a dependable up front option for Beale, nor Tony Mowbray before him, as he has battled throughout the year.
Burstow, who scored ten goals in 25 Premier League 2 games the previous season, was a promising player when he joined the Premier League team, but he hasn’t yet shown it on the field for the Black Cats.
| Vs Middlesbrough | Mason Burstow |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 67 |
| Shots | Zero |
| Touches | 18 |
| Key passes | One |
| Duels won | Zero |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As the table above illustrates, the young player battled mightily last weekend while leading Sunderland’s line against Middlesbrough on Teeside.
The English striker’s season thus far has been summed up by losing all six of his duels during the match and failing to muster an effort on goal.
This season, Burstow has made 15 appearances, starting ten games, and produced one goal (1.33 xG) and one assist (0.37 xA) in the Championship.
The Chelsea loanee has dropped an astounding 73% of his duels in those 15 appearances. This indicates that he is a major liability while not in possession because opposing players have a habit of routinely outlasting him in physical confrontations.
The Sunderland number 11 is now in the bottom 30% among Championship strikers in terms of Expected Assisted Goals (0.06) per 90, and the bottom 12% in terms of non-penalty goals (0.12) per 90.
Based on statistical data, it can be inferred that the summer signing performs below average compared to his positional counterparts in terms of both goal scoring and goal creation.
Burstow’s lack of consistency in front of goal also raises the possibility that the Black Cats are not getting enough possession from him to offset his limited playmaking ability off the ball.
Why Sunderland ought to allow Nazariy Rusyn to go
After Rusyn’s brilliant cameo last weekend, Beale needs to let go of the Premier League loanee in order to unleash him through the middle of the pitch.
With 23 minutes remaining at the Riverside, the former Dynamo Kiev attacker entered the game and scored a well-taken goal in the second half to earn his team a draw.
Jack Clarke shifted the action to the £9k-per-week superstar, and the replacement struck Tom Glover with an incredible half-volley to make the score 1-1 for the day.
The Ukrainian wizard won more ground duels and recorded more shots in 23 minutes than Burstow did in 67, having also won two of his three (66%) ground duels off the bench.
| 23/24 Championship | Nazariy Rusyn |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 14 |
| Starts | Six |
| Goals | Two |
| xG | 1.71 |
| Assists | One |
| Duel success rate | 51% |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
Rusyn has been directly involved in three goals, compared to the Chelsea youngster’s two, as you can see in the above table, even though Rusyn has started four less Championship games.
Currently ranked in the top 24% of attackers in the division for non-penalty goals (0.46) per 90, and the top 35% for expected assisted goals (0.13) per 90 this season, the electrifying 25-year-old speedster has scored three goals in three U21 matches for the club.
According to these figures, Rusyn, who has a 51% duel success record and has also competed in live matches, may be able to provide far more than Burstow in the last round.
Jack Clarke’s brilliance this season
Beale needs to unleash the striker with Sunderland’s great Jack Clarke, who has consistently shown he has what it takes to be a difference-maker.
The former Tottenham Hotspur kid has been a wonderful player for the Black Cats in the Championship this year. Because he can be a consistent threat to score goals and create opportunities, he is the ideal winger for a striker to play with.
| 23/24 Championship | Jack Clarke | Squad rank |
|---|---|---|
| Sofascore rating | 7.80 | 1st |
| Goals | 13 | 1st |
| Assists | Four | 1st |
| Big chances created | 11 | 1st |
| Key passes per game | 2.5 | 1st |
| Dribbles completed per game | 3.7 | 1st |
| Stats via Sofascore | ||
As the data above illustrates, Clarke has been Beale and Mowbray’s go-to player thanks to his incredible performances at the top of the pitch. He creates chances, scores goals, assists, and completes dribbles to propel his club up the standings.
The fact that the English wizard has only been awarded with four assists despite creating 11 “big chances” and 7.49 xA may irritate him, as those numbers imply that his colleagues have failed to support him in front of goal during the Championship.
Because Rusyn has outperformed his xG in the division and Burstow has underperformed, Beale needs to unleash Rusyn from the outset. Burstow could be the dream forward to maximize Clarke’s creativity, as he demonstrated with his goal against Middlesbrough thanks to the winger’s assist.
In light of this, the head coach ought to bench Burstow and start Rusyn and Clarke together in the last part of this afternoon’s match at the Stadium of Light against Plymouth.
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