da premier bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da lvbet： Sunderland are in desperate need of a win and the nervousness that surrounds the club currently could make the home clash with Coventry a tight affair on Saturday.
If their recent matches are anything to go by, there will be few goals and few chances between the two sides, and that means the midfield battle could be key.
The Black Cats have averaged a respectable 52% possession this season but have still failed to create enough chances for their forward players, which is partly why Will Girgg and Marc McNulty have just three league goals between them.
One man who is responsible for that is Max Power. The 26-year-old was part of the Wigan side which claimed the League One title in 2018, but he has so far failed to replicate his match-winning performances in the north-east.
If anything he has got worse this season regardless of who is midfield partner is, and in coming up against the Sky Blues’ Liam Walsh he faces a tough task.
His opposite number has been very effective this season and a big reason why Coventry lie third, with his outstanding solo goal against Rochdale last weekend highlighting his quality.
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As a result, the Sunderland man will have to be focused when out of possession, and though that has been the best aspect of his game so far this term, it will still need to be improved upon against Walsh.
According to WhoScored he has averaged one tackle per game, which wouldn’t be too bad if he had equalled or performed better than that in an attacking capacity, but instead his lack of creativity has been of a detriment to his team.
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While his pass accuracy has been satisfactory, a rate of 0.4 key passes is unacceptable for a team fighting for promotion, and in contrast to Walsh it shows why Parkinson’s side have been lacking going forward.
Power has been outperformed in a number of areas by the Coventry man, and that means he could struggle coming up against him this weekend.
If he fails to close down Walsh quickly the home side could be punished, and given their lack of attacking threat of late – with just four goals scored in the last eight games – it is unlikely they would be able to overcome such a blow.
Walsh has averaged 1.5 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game, according to WhoScored, which shows he is capable of mixing things up and can therefore hurt Sunderland in a variety of ways.
Power needs to elevate his game and ensure he comes out on top in this battle.