RLB has spoken about how Wilson Isidor's style of play has helped improve Sunderland's style of play, while also describing Chris Mepham as a "gift" because of how easily he has slotted into the backline since his late arrival in the window.
BUILDING THE LINK WITH WILSON
“He wants to improve and he is very connected. This part of his personality is very interesting for us. I think his profile matches very well with what we needed to improve our game. He is very orientated to run in behind, he is very generous with good timings. The connection with our striker in behind was very important to create, because we can create a chance with just one pass. Now we have a better connection with him, it is not finished and we will have this connection with Eliezer and Aaron as well."
CREATES SPACE FOR OTHERS
"We can create space inside as well - we worked a lot on the wings, in the channels, and with that striker who is able to run in behind we now have this space to exploit. So, I think now we probably have a better balance in our game in possession and it is another orientation for us.”
LEADERSHIP ALL OVER THE PITCH
“I think as a group it is a connection and that is probably a good sign, because if the leadership is only built on one or two players then I think it is not the best way to perform on the pitch. On the pitch we need to manage the whole team, but we need to manage many different elements: on either side, the defence, how we press and so on. So it is a question of local leadership… it is not only one person but the whole group. It is one of our main strengths at the minute.”
MEPHAM IS QUALITY
“Very important because of his level, his behaviour and his experience as well. He is very connected with the way we want to improve as a team. It is like a gift because recruitment is still unpredictable, you can watch and analyse many games and say ‘yes, this player is very interesting for us’ but when he is in the building you can feel sometimes that it is not exactly what we saw. At the minute, we are very clear so he is like a gift for us.”
