Sunderland head into the extended three-week international break off the back of a disappointing 5-3 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
It is always frustrating to score three goals away from home without picking up any points, and it will be doubly frustrating for centre-forward Brian Brobbey.
The Netherlands international scored his first hat-trick in the Premier League and his first hat-trick for the Black Cats, but it was not enough to secure any points for his side.
Brobbey had the beating of Ruben Dias, winning ten of his 12 duels, and deserved to be on the winning team with his sublime performance, rather than coming away from Manchester City with a defeat.
Why Sunderland need more from Brian Brobbey
Whilst the Dutchman did everything within his power to drag Sunderland into the game on Sunday, Regis Le Bris still needs more from his striker overall this season.
Brobbey’s lack of consistency in front of goal since joining from Ajax for £17.3m last year has played a part in the team’s underwhelming attacking record overall, as the Black Cats only scored 42 goals in 38 league matches last term.
Prior to scoring a hat-trick against City on Sunday, the 24-year-old centre-forward had only scored one goal in his last 11 appearances in the Premier League for the club.
|
Brian Brobbey (Premier League) |
25/26 |
26/27 |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
31 |
5 |
|
xG |
5.94 |
2.94 |
|
Goals |
7 |
3 |
|
Big chances missed |
12 |
1 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
38% |
38% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
47% |
68% |
The former Ajax star has yet to show genuine consistency as a goalscorer in the Premier League, which is why Sunderland still need more from him at the top end of the pitch.
Le Bris will now be hoping that Brobbey’s hat-trick against the Cityzens will be the light that sparks a consistent run of goals for the Dutch centre-forward in the coming months after the international break.
Sunderland have a more exciting star than Brobbey
Despite his three goals at the weekend, Brobbey is not even the most exciting attacking talent that Le Bris has at his disposal at the Stadium of Light.
One of the most exciting talents at the club is left-sided attacker Nilson Angulo, who caught the eye with an impressive display against City on Sunday.
The Ecuador international completed 92% of his attempted passes, 100% of his attempted dribbles, and put the ball on a plate for one of Brobbey’s goals with a perfect cross into the box.
Le Bris has placed his faith in the 23-year-old attacker by starting him in all five of the club’s matches in the Premier League so far this season, and has been rewarded with some fine performances.
Angulo currently ranks in the top 18% of wingers in the division for successful dribbles (seven) and the top 22% for dribble success rate (63.6%), which speaks to his ability to glide past defenders with the ball at his feet.
The forward is an incredibly exciting player to watch, due to his quality as a dribbler, and he is starting to add more end product to his game with goals and assists.
|
25/26 Pro League |
Nilson Angulo |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
22 |
|
xG |
3.77 |
|
Goals |
6 |
|
Key passes per game |
2.1 |
|
Big chances created |
9 |
|
Assists |
5 |
|
Successful dribbles per game |
2.0 |
Prior to signing for Sunderland for £17m in January, Angulo caught the eye during the first half of the Pro League campaign with Anderlecht in Belgium, scoring six goals and creating nine ‘big chances’.
His form with his previous club shows that the potential is there for him to deliver goals and assists on a regular basis, to complement his exciting play as a winger.
Angulo, who has been described as a “joy to watch” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, is an even more exciting talent than Brobbey because he has the quality to offer goals, assists, and direct running with the ball at his feet.
The £17m-rated star, who scored against Ipswich Town on the opening day of this season, could develop into a complete winger for Sunderland with the qualities that he can offer at the top end of the pitch.
It is now down to him, as is also the case with Brobbey, to add more consistency to his play in the final third as a scorer and a creator of goals to fulfill his potential at the Stadium of Light.
If Angulo can score and create goals as regularly as he did in Belgium, the Ecuadorian star could be the most exciting and the most dangerous attacker in the Sunderland squad.
