HAVING been confirmed as Sunderland’s new manager on Saturday morning, David Moyes watched his players in action for the first time a few hours later as they continued their pre-season preparations with a 2-1 win at Rotherham United.
Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson flags up some of the key things he will have learned from events at The New York Stadium.
New signings are desperately needed to address a chronic lack of depth in the squad
Sunderland had five senior players missing at the weekend, with Billy Jones, Jan Kirchhoff and Lee Cattermole all nursing knocks, and John O’Shea and Seb Larsson still recovering from their exploits at the European Championships.
Even so, the make-up of Sunderland’s bench highlighted just how shallow the current squad is, with little more than a month of the transfer window remaining.
Duncan Watmore, who came on for the final 34 minutes, will harbour realistic hopes of being a first-team regular next season, but the rest of the substitutes’ bench was effectively an Under-21 squad.
The likes of Lynden Gooch, Tom Robson and George Honeyman all have potential, but they can hardly be expected to step up to Premier League standard in the next 12 months. Moyes will have left South Yorkshire determined to add depth as well as quality in the next few weeks.
Right-back is an especially problematic area
Josh Robson acquitted himself well in the right-back berth at Rotherham, and the 18-year-old could provide some useful cover as the new season develops.
However, he is clearly some way short of being ready for regular first-team football, and as he looks to make some transfer breakthroughs in the next few weeks, Moyes will be making a new right-back a key priority.
DeAndre Yedlin remains an option, although Sunderland’s attempts to tie up a permanent deal for the Tottenham defender have so far proved unsuccessful. It remains to be seen whether Moyes rates the American as highly as Sam Allardyce did.
Micah Richards is an alternative option, with the Black Cats having discussed the possibility of triggering the Aston Villa defender’s £5m relegation release clause.
Charles N’Zogbia has something to offer – although not necessarily as an attacking midfielder
N’Zogbia has been training with Sunderland since the start of the summer, having become a free agent when his previous contract at Aston Villa expired.
The Frenchman looked some way off the pace in last week’s friendly win at Hartlepool, but was much more impressive as he ran the game for long periods from the base of midfield at Rotherham.
The former Newcastle midfielder set up Fabio Borini’s opener, and scored Sunderland’s second-half winner with a crisp low shot, and Moyes must now decide whether to offer him a permanent deal.
If he does, it will surely be with a view to N’Zogbia filling one of the deep-lying midfield positions. The 30-year-old no longer possesses the pace required to play in a wide attacking role, but his passing remains crisp and astute.
Jeremain Lens has returned to training looking sharper than ever
Lens was a huge disappointment last season, managing just 14 starts in his first campaign on Wearside following a £10.5m move from Dynamo Kiev.
He had a number of run-ins with Allardyce last season, and had the new England boss remained in charge at the Stadium of Light, there is a good chance Lens would have been moved on this summer.
Moyes’ arrival could give him a new lease of life though, and on the evidence of his first two pre-season outings, the winger looks ready to take it.
Lens has looked sharp in both games, and having not been involved in the European Championships because of Holland’s failure to qualify, he should be fresh and raring to go when the Premier League begins in three weeks’ time.
Defending crosses remains something of an issue
Sunderland conceded a number of goals from crosses last season, and while Allardyce worked diligently to improve his side’s defensive structure, the problem has not gone away.
Rotherham’s goal came from a right-wing cross, with Jerry Yates afforded too much space as turned on the edge of the six-yard box, and the hosts although threatened in the first half when Danny Ward beat Jordan Pickford to the ball and headed narrowly over the crossbar.
Moyes’ best Everton sides tended to be well organised and defensively resolute, and the new Sunderland boss will be determined to build on Allardyce’s work at the back as he gets to grips with his new squad during this week’s training break in France.
Lamine Kone and Younes Kaboul are both individually good in the air, so once Moyes has his first-choice full-back pairing sorted, he should be able to tighten up the back four.
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