Sunderland man branded as ‘naive and lazy’ as Coventry City defeat showcased one surprisingly ‘shocking’ player
One Sunderland player was noted for being particularly poor in the defeat to Coventry City.
Sunderland suffered a 3-0 defeat to Coventry City at the CBS Arena, one that saw Frank Lampard’s side take control from the first minute.
The Black Cats struggled across the park, with Dan Neil being criticised by Sunderland fans, whilst Regis Le Bris believed the Black Cats weren’t at their best.
From the first minute, Sunderland were particularly hounded at the back, with USA international Haji Wright toying with Chris Mepham and Luke O’Nien all afternoon, notching a hat-trick against the fairly turgid Black Cats defence.
Mepham in particular was off the pace and didn’t look his usual self, and has been hounded for one error he made, on top of his entire dire performance.
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Michael Graham criticises ‘naive and lazy’ Chris Mepham error in Sunderland defeat
Across the pitch, no Sunderland players covered themselves in glory, and that includes centre-back Mepham, a player that we have become accustomed to seeing provide top performances on a consistent basis.
The centre-back left a hanging leg for Wright’s opener, which showed him to not put in maximum effort for blocking the American’s shot from distance, and the Welshman was at the front and centre of Wright and Coventry’s second, having brought down the attacker inside his box for a penalty.
During the game, Sunderland journalist Michael Graham made his thoughts clear on the centre-back, via X, to which he said: “Absolutely shocking from Sunderland. Mepham especially bad for that penalty. Such naive and lazy defending. He’s far from alone in looking like it’s the first time they’ve seen a football in their lives today, though.”
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Chris Mepham experience will be crucial to help Black Cats return to best
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Despite a very poor showing from Mepham, as well as the entire Sunderland camp at the weekend, it will take a lot to round up the troops through the international break. One thing that is clear, though, is that Mepham will play a crucial role in ensuring that Sunderland get back to their best.
It is obvious that one of the main factors in Sunderland’s downfall in the poor 2023/24 season, in which a poor run of form in the business end of the season saw the Black Cats finish in a lowly 16th place, was the fact that there was little leadership and experience in the team. Mepham provides both of that.
The younger Sunderland ranks will be looking towards a player to help overturn this poor form, and Mepham can certainly be that man.
