Opposites Attract as Welbeck & Gyan Prove Too Much for Bolton

Sunderland beat the snow to take on one of the more impressive sides this season in Bolton, who have undergone a miraculous renovation under Owen Coyle. Despite playing one of the League’s form teams in Sunderland away from home, they refused to make any drastic changes to their set-up and, if Ivan Klasnic was more clinical in front of goal, could’ve escaped the Stadium of Light with at least a share of the spoils.

Sunderland’s current system, utilising the three forwards at the club in Darren Bent, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck, is one that has proved hugely successful for Steve Bruce, whose side now enter the Christmas period sitting sixth in the League. They owe an awful amount to the current form of Danny Welbeck, who hit his fifth goal in six games today.

Occupying a rather unfamiliar position out on the left-hand side, the on-loan Manchester United striker has shown an impressive amount of discipline with his positioning and proved a constant thorn in Sam Ricketts’ side today. The below chalkboard shows Welbeck’s attempted passes today and there’s a strong correlation down that left flank, and his runs inside the full-back caused panic in the Bolton lines time and time again as defenders struggled to pick him up.


 by Guardian Chalkboards

For a young player who is blessed with abundant pace to show such discipline when played out of position pays great testament to his ability and determination for the team. With the “Mourinho system” of a lone striker flanked by two attacking wide men becoming increasingly prominent, Welbeck has proven his worth with this display and you certainly wouldn’t rule him out of a triumphant return to Old Trafford.

Compare and contrast Welbeck’s discipline with the eclectic exuberance of Asamoah Gyan, and you won’t find a starker contrast. Bruce has given the newly crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year a free role in the Sunderland offensive line, and you have to presume this is because it’s the only way Gyan knows how to play.


 by Guardian Chalkboards


He is, quite literally, all over the place, but in a very good sense. Darren Bent occupies at least one central defender with his intuitive runs behind, yet Gyan offers a distinctly different threat by running from any direction, at pace, towards you. Compare this to the largely static Bolton trio of Davies, Klasnic and Elmander, and you can possibly see why Sunderland threatened throughout.

To say that Sunderland dominated, though, would pay a huge disservice to Bolton and, in particular, Stuart Holden, who continues to impress as part of Owen Coyle’s midfield. A reasonably diminutive midfielder very similar to Jack Wilshere, who spent the final months of last season at Bolton, he compliments the industrious Muamba very well and has been responsible for some of Bolton’s better football in recent weeks.

He had an indifferent time today with the ball at his feet, completing just 50% of his passes, but the unsuccessful passes were almost entirely played forward into the Sunderland half in search of an opening, with Elmander struggling to impose himself against a more mobile defensive line.