Tony Mowbray has outlined his potential tactical options for Sunderland’s upcoming clash with Wigan Athletic.
The suspended Corry Evans has seen the 58-year old have to weigh up his thinking for this weekend’s visit of the Latics to the Stadium of Light.
PSG loanee Edouard Michut has been name checked following his bright performance midweek for the U23s side against Leeds United.
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Despite the underage group suffering a 1-0 defeat to United, the Sunderland boss has revealed how impressed he was with the 19-year old’s contribution.
He has also mentioned potentially bringing Dennis Cirkin back into the team while possibly rearranging the setup of the midfield.
“My dilemmas really are around, do we replace Corry with a real technician?” said Mowbray, via the Sunderland Echo.
“So if you saw the U21 games on Monday night against Leeds United, Edouard Michut showed what a lovely footballer is, passing the ball between the lines.
“He was competitive in the game and I think he covered 13 kilometers as well.
“He showed me there that he’s not far away from a first-team footballer.
“Do we bring Dennis Cirkin in and rearrange the midfield?
“Have we got someone who can do what Corry does, how many defensive-minded midfield players do we need in the team?
“These are the things that I need to think about.
“Wigan’s main strength is getting the ball out wide and putting it in your box, they’re dangerous with that and the best way to stop that is probably to keep the ball off them, so do we need a lot of technical players to keep the ball?
“We’ll make that call over the next couple of days.”
Quiz: 14 questions about Sunderland’s season so far that will test your knowledge
Did Sunderland start the season at home or away?
home away
Evans has been a stalwart of the Sunderland side so far this season, playing in 12 of the team’s 13 league games.
But an accumulation of yellow cards means he will be absent for this weekend’s fixture as he serves a one-game suspension.
Mowbray will be hoping his side can claim all three points in order to climb from their current position of 13th in the Championship table.
The Verdict
Michut made his debut for Sunderland in their 0-0 draw with Blackpool earlier this month.
A 15-minute cameo from the bench got his Black Cats career off the mark as he looks to gain experience at senior level while on loan from PSG.
The youngster has impressive qualities and could be of use to Mowbray’s squad during this busy period.
An introduction from the start against Wigan would be a great opportunity for him to prove that he is capable of competing at this level.
