Granit Xhaka’s pass map speaks volumes: Sunderland’s three winners and three losers vs Nottingham Forest
Sunderland beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 in a tense match at the City Ground to earn another set of three points in their relegation fight.
Sources told Football Insider that Aston Villa are monitoring Sunderland’s Wilson Isidor after he humiliated them on 21 September.
Morgan Rogers snapped back at a controversial Sunderland post as the Villains continued their horrific form at the start of the season in their 1-1 draw.
However, Football Insider exclusively revealed that some first-team Sunderland players could leave in January as the club look to reduce their squad size.
Following their victory against Forest, Football Insider reviews the heroes and the villains from the trip to the City Ground.
Sunderland winners
Omar Alderete
The Paraguayan was imperious for Regis Le Bris with an astute defensive performance at the heart of the Sunderland rearguard.
Omar Aldarete headed home the decisive winner to tee the Black Cats up to take all three points away from home.
The 28-year-old has been one of the standout signings at the Stadium of Light who is extremely dependable for the club.
Granit Xhaka
The former Arsenal midfielder wowed again in another all-round dominant performance in the middle of the park.
Granit Xhaka grabbed the assist for Alderete’s opener and cruised his way round the City Ground by turning the ball over and remaining accurate with an 84 per cent pass completion rate.
The ex-Bayer Leverkusen player completed 26 of his 31 passes, as demonstrated here by Football Insider’s new statistics partner Opta, which highlighted his pinpoint precision in spraying the ball around.
The Switzerland international is continuing to enjoy his return to the Premier League and the Sunderland fans greatly appreciate his commitment and work rate.
Robin Roefs
Another integral part of Le Bris’ rearguard, the Dutchman was solid throughout the 90 minutes.
Robin Roefs came up with some incredible saves and prevented XG alone through his commanding presence in the box.
His long-range passing was also notable as he delivered two key passes despite being the goalkeeper.
Sunderland losers
Chris Rigg
Intending to offer support to Isidor, Chris Rigg was pretty anonymous in his attempt to spearhead the Sunderland attack.
The 18-year-old was substituted off on the 59th minute after he aimlessly sprinted around the pitch without having a significant impact.
Evidently, the Englishman is struggling with the step up from the Championship to the Premier League.
Arthur Masuaku
Having struggled to force his way into the Black Cats starting XI, the left-back did not seize on the opportunity the suspended Reinildo gave him.
The former West Ham man looked shaky against Dilane Bakwa’s fierce speed down Forest’s right-hand side as he couldn’t compete.
The 31-year-old picked up a yellow card and was hooked on the 59th minute, summing up an underwhelming performance which will certainly not get him starting on a regular basis once Reinildo is back.
Wilson Isidor
The number 19’s heroics against Aston Villa could not be replicated as he was starved of any decent service against Forest.
The Frenchman saw little of the ball with Nikola Milenkovic and Morato both smothering him for Ange Postecoglou’s side.
Yet, Isidor will be looking to bounce back quickly and add to his three goals so far this season in their next match against Man United.