Sunderland’s head coach has given his thoughts on the 1-0 loss to Hull City on Friday night.
Michael Beale argued that his Sunderland team did not deserve to lose to Hull City on Friday night, but admitted that he needs to get more from his players in the final third.
Hull won with one of their rare attacks in the second half, Fabio Carvalho’s deflected strike from a corner, handing Sunderland their third defeat in a row in all competitions. The Black Cats dominated possession and territory against a team without many key players, but they struggled to convert that play into consistent opportunities.
Ironically, the only sustained pressure they applied in the game came right before Hull City’s winner.
“We were the more dominant team in the game but we lacked a cutting edge in the final third,” stated Beale.
“I believe we should perform better in the closing third of the game, and it is my responsibility as coach to find solutions. I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but there’s one moment in the game where we could have done better, but we didn’t. Even the way we gave up the corner was poor, and we only had two minutes to defend it, which we failed to accomplish. The margins are fine, and the game is kicking us. I believe we were the stronger team in the game.
“We started well, but the game slowed down, and we were back in control at the start of the second half. We get into dangerous situations, and we had far more chances in the game than Hull did, down the side of the box, 1-v-1s wide. We could be faster at times and get more players in the box; those are the areas where I need to improve. That is on me.”
Beale conceded that his team did not press Hull City’s goalkeeper into enough saves during the game, and that he understood the home fans’ anger with a game that lacked tempo and quality.
“We didn’t work the goalkeeper enough, no,” Beale said.
“We get in down the side, but we’re choosy; we turn out of the box at times, and we reject crosses and shots. Perhaps if you’re a forward or a midfielder in our squad attacking the box, you’re not sure when the ball will come in.
“We sometimes play backwards when we should play forwards. You’re attempting to motivate them from the sidelines, and may our midfielders occasionally break lines with their passes? Can we go forward? They’re all related to the speed of our play; we could definitely play faster.
“These are all the things we need to improve, I don’t want to make a mountain out of a situation because out of the two managers tonight, one goes away really pleased but in the bigger picture, I’d rather be manager of Sunderland.”
Many Sunderland fans showed their disgust with the performance and the head coach at the final whistle, with the mood on Wearside deteriorating after a difficult month for the club.
