Sunderland expert shares glaring area of ‘concern’ for Regis Le Bris’ side after 1-0 defeat vs Swansea City
Sunderland’s unusual home loss to Swansea City, who sit in the middle of the table, on Saturday afternoon revealed a significant worry for the Black Cats manager.
Sunderland’s 0-0 draw at Norwich in the middle of the week earned them a spot in the Championship play-offs, but Regis Le Bris’ team is now in uncertainty.
Man of the match Ben Cabango gave his team the lead shortly before the hour, and Sunderland was unable to respond, allowing Alan Sheehan’s visitors to win.
Le Bris’ team lacked any energy, just like they did at Carrow Road, and their regular season is in danger of ending since they have little left to play for in the now-inconsequential final four games.
Following the match, a Sunderland reporter pointed out one of Le Bris’ main “concern” points that needs to be addressed before their playoff run.
Sunderland expert shares cause for “concern” after 1-0 defeat vs Swansea City
In their last five games, Sunderland has only managed two goals—the game-winning goals against Millwall and West Brom—while giving up five goals.
On Saturday, the Black Cats only mustered three shots on goal and one huge chance during the entire afternoon against Sheehan’s Swans. Enzo Le Fee, a Roma loanee, was sent on as a substitute, and his cameo of 31 minutes was the only spark or creative inspiration that Sunderland player had.
| Key statistic | Sunderland in Swansea loss |
| Possession | 68% |
| Big chances | 1 |
| Shots on target | 3 |
| Expected goals | 0.83 |
After Swansea’s loss, Phil Smith, a Sunderland reporter with the Sunderland Echo, shared a critical assessment that raises serious concerns for the team ahead of their play-off campaign.
“It’s a bit of a concern now really that Sunderland are just struggling to carve out chances,” he told the Sunderland Echo.
“We’ve rightly praised the fact that since the Coventry game (3-0 loss) before the international break, defensively they’ve been fairly solid and that was the case by and large today, but they’re not really creating much.”
Enzo Le Fee is Sunderland’s biggest hope for success in Championship play-offs
Smith went on to say: “There was a real lack of attacking spark, the buildup play is not convincing,” as Sunderland continues to hold onto fourth place in the Championship. Although there is still time to address it, it must be a minor concern right now.
| Position | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against | Diff | Points |
| 1 |  Leeds |
42 | 25 | 13 | 4 | 82 | 29 | 53 | 88 |
| 2 |  Burnley |
42 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 57 | 13 | 44 | 88 |
| 3 |  Sheffield Utd |
42 | 26 | 7 | 9 | 57 | 33 | 24 | 83 |
| 4 |  Sunderland |
42 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 57 | 37 | 20 | 77 |
| 5 |  Bristol City |
42 | 16 | 15 | 11 | 53 | 45 | 8 | 63 |
| 6 |  Coventry |
41 | 18 | 8 | 15 | 58 | 53 | 5 | 62 |
As he returned from the Sunderland sidelines for his Canaries cameo on Saturday afternoon, Roma loanee Le Fee was the most promising player.
As he attempted to create an equalizer in his 31-minute substitute appearance against the Swans, the creative Frenchman generated one chance, played three passes into the final third, and had a 91% passing accuracy.
The Frenchman can undoubtedly have magical moments, like when he destroyed Boro full-back Luke Ayling before being hurt, considering that Le Fee competed with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for chances created during his time in Ligue 1.
Now that Sunderland’s goal-scoring ability is waning just as the playoffs are approaching, it is up to the former Lorient star to breathe new life into the Black Cats’ assault.
