Sunderland’s midfield has been in impressive form so far this season

Sunderland’s new look midfield has arguably been one of the success stories of their campaign so far.

Granit Xhaka, Habib Diarra, and Noah Sadiki were all signed over the course of the summer transfer window, and have all caught the eye since their arrival on Wearside. In a disappointing blow, however, head coach Regis Le Bris is facing up to the possibility of being without two-thirds of his first choice trio over the coming weeks.

First, Diarra underwent groin surgery after sustaining a complaint prior to last month’s draw with Aston Villa, and then over the weekend, Sadiki picked up an ankle issue while away on international duty with DR Congo.

While the former is expected back in December, there is still no concrete indication as to the severity of Sadiki’s problem, or when he is expected to be fit again. But nevertheless, appearing as a guest on the latest episode of The Roar podcast, The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson admitted the he has been impressed with Sunderland’s midfield so far this term.

What has been said about Sunderland’s midfield amid Noah Sadiki injury setback?

When asked about Sunderland’s central three, Wilson said: “New players coming from outside the Premier League into the Premier League often find it quite hard to adapt. I think you've seen Florian Wirtz [at Liverpool] has found it really hard to adapt. And so the fact that Sunderland seemed to have had a very clear policy of signing quick physical players - who can also play, but clearly the physicality is part of it - that was one of the things I was really encouraged by.

“So, if we ever get that first choice midfield back again - of Xhaka, Diarra, and Sadiki - all three of them are technically good, all three of them are physically really powerful players. Xhaka is obviously more of a passer, the other two carry it a bit more. But that three, I think that is a midfield that is probably a mid-table Premier League midfield. And that's a great thing to have.

“Now, I'm not sure that we've quite got the balance right between that three and the front three. I know against Forrest, Sadiki played a bit wider and [Enzo] Le Fée played inside. Maybe that is the way to do it, to get a bit more creativity in the centre and use Sadiki’s physicality to pin in the opposing right-back. But I really like that three. I think the balance of that three is very, very good. It's just how you then get the interaction between that and the front three.”

The Echo’s James Copley said: “I really like Sunderland's middle three when they're all fit and firing. I think they all do something that the others don't, if that makes sense. There was a lot of chat about Granit Xhaka coming in. We signed him when he was 32, he's since turned 33. ‘Are his legs gone? What's he coming here for?’ And he's been excellent, really, but I think Noah Sadiki in particular has given him the platform to perform. Sadiki does a lot of the dirty work, the dog work, doesn't he? His interceptions are very good, but he's quite progressive. His numbers are very high.

“And I think, as well, there are some things that can't be measured in statistics. When [Trai] Hume bombs forward on the right from defence, Sadiki tends to drop in. That sort of positional awareness in the Premier League for a 20-year-old, I think, is quite impressive.

“And Habib Diarra as well. I'm hoping to see him again soon after he recovers from his groin surgery because he's very powerful and he can progress the ball with it at his feet, and I think that's hugely important in the Premier League. We've seen with transitions numerous times already this season, not just in Sunderland games, but up and down the league, that if you've got a ball-carrier that you can counter-attack quickly with, it's hugely beneficial. So I think it's hugely positive, but the negative at the moment is that two of the three are looking likely to be out for at least a little while. So it all lies on some of Sunderland's fringe players.”

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Following on, The Echo’s chief writer, Phil Smith, added: “When I first saw Sadiki play, which I think he'll have been against Sevilla in pre-season, I spoke to Regis Le Bris the next day and I said, ‘Wow, that guy runs, doesn't he?’. And interestingly, Le Bris said one of the things he talked about when they were going through the recruitment meetings and looking at his clips was that Le Bris told Sadiki he felt he was probably running a little bit too much. So what we're seeing this season is Sadiki cutting back on his running, which I think is incredible.

“But I also think he's probably irreplaceable within this squad in terms of what he can do in his running. I think Le Bris is probably going to have to do something a little bit different on Saturday because I don't think there's a guy in the squad who can go in and do that [running]. I think he's going to have to reshuffle things a bit.”

Jonathan Wilson has been longlisted for this year’s William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award for his book The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup. The official awards ceremony takes place November 25th.

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