Granit Xhaka
Sunderland’s recent clash with West Ham United ended in a 3-1 defeat, marking the first league game of the season that Granit Xhaka missed. The club’s talisman was notably absent, particularly in the first half, where Sunderland struggled to contain West Ham’s attack. Xhaka’s absence was due to an ankle injury, which is expected to sideline him for at least two weeks.
Régis Le Bris said: “He has an ankle injury, so he’ll need at least two weeks to recover and then we’ll have another assessment to set the real period of rest, so we’ll see.”
Without Xhaka, Sunderland’s midfield appeared vulnerable, and West Ham capitalized by scoring three goals in the first half. Despite the setback, Le Bris did not attribute the loss solely to team selection. He pointed out that the same system had previously earned Sunderland a point against Manchester City.
Le Bris said: “We played more or less like that against Manchester City, for example, so with probably two more creative midfielders, but we used this set-up during the friendly games at the beginning of the season and I expected a good workflow. I think the team selection is not probably the main point, it’s more about our level during this first half. We can talk about tactics, about the way we defended this side or this side, the way we attack or defend.”
Adding to the match’s drama, the game was briefly paused just before stoppage time due to a verbal confrontation involving Granit Xhaka and a West Ham United fan near the Sunderland dugout. Le Bris stated he was unaware of the incident and preferred to focus on his team’s performance issues.
Le Bris said: “No, the bench is too far from the sideline where I was. I didn’t see what happened and haven’t spoken with anyone about it. We don’t want to think about the environment, we are thinking about us. The main point at the minute is that we are not at the level that can happen. It’s important to analyse and repeat, to learn, to work hard and to prepare for the next game. Nothing else.”
West Ham United’s manager, Nuno, also commented on the incident, noting that the referee had paused the game but did not elaborate on the details.
Nuno said: “I don’t know what happened. I spoke to the referee who said we had to pause the game, I just asked him how long he would add on [as a result]! Whatever it was, I hope it was solved.”
The defeat highlights Sunderland’s need to adapt and improve without their key player, Granit Xhaka. As they await his return, Le Bris and his team must focus on enhancing their overall performance to avoid similar outcomes in future matches.
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