Every word from Sunderland head coach Michael Beale ahead of the trip to Birmingham City this weekend.
What’s the latest on Patrick Roberts?
The scan is today, it’s the other side to the hamstring he did earlier in the season but it’s very similar. It’s a real sore one for us to take because we tried to manage his minutes and we’re managing a calf injury and now we’re managing a hamstring. It’s horrible for Paddy and the team.
The absence of Patrick is significant?
Since I’ve come in he’s not been available much, so we’ve lost a big asset and we’ve seen at the weekend where I thought he was very good and then he came on the other night and created a couple of big moments for us, so it is a miss but it’s a big chance for Romaine to step up now. Abdoullah has played well in that position as well so we’ll find a solution in the squad, I’m sure.
Have you done the autopsy on Wednesday night in terms of dealing with the robustness and conceding from set pieces?
The first comment we don’t like, and we’ll have to take it because if that’s what people feel we’re going to have to get rid of that thing. If teams are thinking they can run after us and press us and be aggressive and think we’re not up to for the fight then we have to respond to that. It’s interesting that teams don’t want to play a football match with us, for example. They want to get up and get at us and I think they’ve probably undersold themselves there because I thought they were decent on the night. They went away with the three points, so we’ll leave that where it is.
In terms of the set plays, that’s where the big issues were that we faced the other night – they hit the post and had one off the line off set plays and it’s an area we’re going to have to improve on, I think everyone can see that. The make-up of the team might help us as well in terms of some of the players we maybe pick that will help us be bigger and stronger in those areas and it’s a matter of everybody’s focus and concentration. But it’s in both boxes – we get more corners than we give away. We probably get as many free kicks as we give away as well, so we need to be more potent in both boxes.
Generally, you don’t have many issues in defence but both Luke O’Nien and Dan Ballard are now on nine yellow cards?
What we don’t want to be doing is chasing games of football and that’s where my frustration is with the goal we conceded the other night. Okay, not everything was going our way – it won’t always go our way in the Championship. There’s an element in the first half where we have compete in the duels, we could do that better. But to concede off that set play was disappointing and then we’re chasing the game and the game is very open and not how we want it to look. We’re still a team who goes away from home and has the lions share of possession and the same amount of shots and we come away with nothing. That’s why the focus has to be on the set play because it’s an isolated moment where I think any team in the world can good at them so it’s important that we are and at the moment we’re not good enough.
Are you comfortable with the balance being predominantly left-sided?
We have to work on our right side, we’ve lost our main starter if you like. But for Abdoullah and for Romaine that’s a big opportunity. We’ve scored a few goals down that side of late and Abdoullah has been in decent form but we’ll have to find a solution with the players we’ve got. I think we’ve got enough talent in the room. We’re at a stage in the season where, naturally, there’ll be some doubts because there’s five or six teams within one point of each other so there’s five coaches probably feeling the same at the moment. Results are not going perfectly for anybody.
What’s important is that we find the resilience that we need and the mental stamina that we need so that we don’t go into the games feeling down or too high from the previous game. We have to reset. It will be a different problem for us to solve this weekend. We’re looking forward to going down to Birmingham for this game and showing a response and that’s our focus now. We need to get to the March international break within touching distance and then after that every game is a cup final. At this moment in time, it’s not a moment for panic. It’s a moment for taking a deep breath, there are some areas we can improve in – I would still prefer to be Sunderland manager than manager of some of the other clubs that are in that fight. So it’s positive. We have to go into each game knowing that this league is relentless and it’s important that we stick true to what we’re good at.
The game sees you go up against Tony Mowbray and both teams need the win, it’s a potent mix?
Firstly, I don’t think Tony has anything to prove to the Sunderland fans or the people here. I think our fans will show their class and he didn’t get a chance to say goodbye either so that’s natural and then we’ll play the game and we’re Sunderland versus Birmingham. It’s a big game. The niceties which I think should happen before the game will definitely happen and then it’s about us going there and getting a result. Every team in this league ahs something to play for.
The league is relentless. We’ve got one or two lads who are a bit sore, we’ve got one or two we need to check on in terms of selection so that will give opportunities to one or two others, maybe. It’s going to be a squad game when you play three games in a week and have the travel we’ve had. It’s not a time for us to be down or debate the last game anymore. That last game has gone, we can only respond on Saturday afternoon with a stronger away performance than we showed on Wednesday.
Are you mindful that the players will need to play the game rather than the occasion?
We’ve just got to play every three points, we can’t look too far ahead. Our mentality has got to be one game at a time. If we take care of our results the rest of the league will help us out, I’m sure. We don’t want to be relying on anybody else. Where we are now, there’s five teams in the mix for maybe one, stroke two if we can pull West Brom back down. There’s a lot of football to be played. We don’t want to be too high after a win or too low after a defeat thinking that we’ve fixed everything or it’s horrible.
Our team needs to constantly refocus. Each game is a different challenge. The Championship is very much a pandora’s box in terms of styles and the ways the games are played and the form guide often goes out the window at this time of the season. The most important thing for us is that our mentality and our attitude are spot on every single game. it’s not always going to go our way but we need to find ways of winning more football matches and going on a run. It’s clear that at some stage, we’re going to have to go on a run if we’re going to make the play-offs.
Tony knows this squad inside out, is that an advantage from his perspective?
I think we’ll find out after the game. It’s clear that he knows our players. Maybe there’ll be one or two playing that will have a point to prove to him as well, you don’t know. These are the lovely things that happen in football. What I would say is that there’s a lot of respect for Tony Mowbray here at Sunderland and I think the fans will show that and the players will show that to him and the staff that worked with him before the game and then it’ll be a right ding-dong battle, I’m sure.
Are you expecting a warm welcome being a former Aston Villa coach?
Possibly, but they’re trying to sell out the stadium to make an atmosphere which gives you an idea of the importance of it to them, we’ve got some extra tickets out of them and we’ll do our part as well. Whatever problem Birmingham give us, we have to find an answer to it at the weekend. I think it’ll be a football game. There’s three or four players in their squad that I’ve worked with before who are really good, technical players, so I’m expecting Birmingham to improve week in, week out with the players and coaching staff they’ve got.
Michael with the question of bullying, there's two sides, some people think it's an issue, some don't. How do you address that?
I felt in the first-half we didn't move the ball quick enough when we had the ball. I thought they started well, they're quite a direct team and they play off set-plays. It doesn't help when you give a set-play away within thirty seconds of the kick-off, with their fans and the way they play, the way the game is. I felt in midfield, we wanted one or too many touches for the speed in which they were pressing. If we move the ball, quicker, if we play forward quicker and run off the ball, they're all those things. There's no doubt the midfield battle, at times you have to compete. I didn't see Dan Ballard or Luke O'Nien, Trai Hume or Leo Hjelde get bullied.
I wouldn't come away from the game and say that. I thought as a back four - the two centre-halves were decent in the game. I though Trai had another good game again. I thought the flow of the second-half was open, but it was certainly us pushing. If another team think they can do that within the realms of the game, if they're competing and challenging and they feel that on set-plays we're weak. We've got to respond to that. Their coaches mentioned that to one or two of our coaches and I'm not happy about that outlook. Our players have to take that on the chin as feedback don't they? I don't think any team is going to stand off us and let us play lovely football.
I think what they've realised the last few months is if you stand off Sunderland you've got an issue. I think teams are going to find problems, that was always the way. Now we're back in this league, we did really well last year and we're in a really good position this year, we play a really good style of football and we're a younger team in the league, or the youngest team across the football league. Teams are going to look at ways to create issues and problems for you. That's for us to keep evolving and keep improving and that's what we're trying to do. I wouldn't read too much into those comments. I think we have to show that's not the case.
Is Callum Styles ready to be involved and you mentioned Romaine as an option for the right-hand side, is he ready for 90 minutes?
On Callum, he had his second full session today and there's a bit of tenderness there. By next week he'll be 100 per cent and we'll need to make a decision whether he makes the bench and how much he can play. He's a bit of an unknown to us in the sense he's only had a couple of sessions with us. He's a very good football player by the way.
In terms of Romaine, it's a possibility that one or two, certainly with the way the week has gone and the minutes they've had, that they could share the minutes this weekend. I think you could see Romaine and Abdoullah share the minutes in that position. There's Mason and Naz, Adil is pushing as well, Chris Rigg is pushing as well in the midfield. It's going to have to be a real team effort because it's the third game in such a short period of time. Birmingham have had a couple of extra days rest in between, they played Friday and then Tuesday. We're going to need everybody and it's going to be a real team effort this weekend.]
Thoughts on Jack Clarke's agents comments 'we hope he gets a move this summer?'
That's the first time I've heard that. Agents had got a job to do and he represents Jack. It's important he represents Jack in the right way and I'm sure Jack feels he does. Jack has already reiterated that he's extremely happy here just last week. This is going to be an ongoing saga I think until the summer. At the moment the window is closed, Jack's here and he's our player. He's one of the best players in the league. He looks happy to me so lets just focus on that. Someone's got to pay the money that we would want and it's got to be the right club for Jack. We're certainly the right club for Jack right now.
You were full of praise for Tony Mowbray, do you accept there'll be extra scrutiny on the tactical side of things this weekend?
Maybe. I've watched Tony's teams for a number of years. He had a couple of players that I had at Liverpool go on loan to his team back when he was coach at Coventry. He's been in the league a long time and has a lot of experience. He knows how to play in this league and he's taken on a project that's slightly different to the one here where he was at the top of the league.
Now at Birmingham they're fighting in a scrap, but some of the players they've got that I've worked with, Andre Dozzel, Ethan Laird, Tyler Roberts - they're really good football players. I've got no issue that they're going to be okay. It's important we put a dent in that this weekend. Tony is a coach that a lot of people have got respect for. I certainly have and everyone here at Sunderland. When it gets to 3 o'clock on Saturday, that gets pushed to one side for the 90 minutes or 100 minutes, whatever it is.
The tactical tweaks you've made have come out better at home rather than away?
As I say there's lots of problems to solve in football. One of the issues was we played possession in front of teams and they were sitting back and causing us an issue. After Saturday's result against Plymouth, certainly second-half where we score three goals and play really fast and running football, take the result away from them, that's really pleasing. Then you go away from home where a team are up and in your face. That's another problem you've got to solve. That's football, there's always another thing round the corner.
In general, defensively, in open play I've been pleased with the team overall. I think we've been hard to play against at times. I've seen improvements in players like Jack Clarke and Abdoullah Ba in their pressing and aggression to get around the pitch. We've seen that and then the set-plays come out of nowhere. We hadn't conceded for nine games from a set-play until we went to Ipswich and that's been the situation we've had. That's the thing with coaching a team. As soon as you think you've cracked something, something else appears. What we're looking for is a complete performance as time goes on, I'd like to think we're going to get closer to that.
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Do you think up front, a big key is to get more bodies into the box away from home?
Yeah, certainly if I look in the last ten or 15 minutes when Paddy gets down the side, we have got three or four in the box but it doesn't seem to fall for us. We've got to work on those aspects of our game. Can we get a midfield runner in there? Can we get our opposite wide player attacking the far post more often. They're the things that are missing form our game and they're fine details. When Trai goes through the other night, it's a big opportunity, he makes a big save. On the set-play, are we alive enough to the second ball? Could we block the shot? Could we get out quicker? When I look at the league table, I can't be the only coach feeling like that because it's so tight. Every point is so important. The message I want to send today, is every single three points we have to go for. It's not going to be perfect.
We have to get to the March international break withing shooting difference where we are now, or slightly better off if we can. Then after that break down, that's when these positions are going to be decided. We know we went on a late run last year. If anything, we need to draw on that experience we had last year. We went into the last game to win and get in, or defeat and finish in mid-table. We know it's going to go to the wire. This year in the Championship, the points tally that we're going to need is going to be greater than last year I believe. If you look, it's a stronger league this year for sure. You look at the top three and where they're taking it, or the top four, there's only a few play-off places available. There's six or seven teams in that fight and we're one of them. This isn't a time for doubt. It's a time for resetting, making sure our mentality is strong and going to Birmingham and giving it everything. That's the clear message to the group also.
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