LET’S TALK ABOUT TACTICS!
Talking Strategies: What did Sunderland do differently in the second half against QPR?
What did Tony Mowbray do at QPR to bring things around for Sunderland after we fell behind? Dan Harrison examines the statistics.
Sunderland maintained their excellent run after the international break by traveling to London and defeating Queens Park Rangers 3-1. Mowbray’s men have already secured 10 points out of a possible 12, so how did Mowbray put his team up, and how did he respond to his side falling behind 1-0 early on?
Gareth Ainsworth chose an unchanged lineup from the one that defeated our North-East rivals Middlesbrough before the international break.
He used a 3-4-2-1 shape that took advantage of wide midfielders and inside forwards. Following the departure of Jack Colback, this formation immediately became a 5-3-1, with Armstrong serving as the Londoners’ single out-ball.
Due to injuries, Tony Mowbray was forced to make two changes from the team that thrashed Southampton 5-0; Niall Huggins came in to replace the injured Dennis Cirkin, while Mason Burstow deputised for Sunderland following a mild knock to Bradley Dack.
Sunderland’s shape changed dramatically after the loss of Pierre Ekwah to a dead leg for Alex Pritchard, as Mowbray adopted his customary 4-2-3-1 formation throughout the first quarter of the encounter.
Possession In and Possession Out
Sunderland dominated possession for much of the first 14 minutes, as you’d expect from a Mowbray side, with Trai Hume operating in that inverted fullback role we’ve come to anticipate to add more passing options in midfield and allow Ba to embrace.
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Huggins played fullback and offered width on the left, allowing Clarke to make his normal diagonal runs inside. Burstow and Bellingham both occupied half-spaces, giving Neil and Ekwah room to operate in the center of the pitch.
Sunderland swiftly rearranged the pack after Pritchard’s debut, dropping Jobe somewhat deeper beside Neil. This allowed Pritchard to operate in the half space while Burstow pinned the QPR defensive line back.
Sunderland defended in their usual shape when not in possession, with Clarke and Ba dropping deeper to give defensive cover out wide and Jobe forming a compact midfield three in the centre of the pitch.
