Enzo doesn't do enough to justify benching Cherki so the solution is Enzo on the bench & start Bouaddi. Won't happen though due to politics.
Luckily we have NOR so we have another real option in the 6 so there's no real reason why we should ever have Anderson & Enzo in a pivot.
Dias v Brobbey was always a mismatch.
That aside midfield being cut open is a theme that's been consistent all season. Much as I like Anderson, he hasnt mastered 'sitting' as a #6 yet and does need an extra body in the middle to help.
Players who need to improve after today:
⚠️ Rúben Dias - His worst game of the season. Looked unusually shaky.
📉 Matheus Nunes - Also his worst game. He’s been very reliable, but struggled today.
🧤 Donnarumma - Made some poor decisions and looked unusually uncertain.
Our central progression was particularly poor in the first-half as Sunderland boxed not just our entire midfield but the entire central channel.
Angulo and Meunier were positioned to cut off direct passes to the half-spaces, forcing us wide.
Now, the problem was that our wingers were easily doubled-up upon into 2v1s as Fernandez and Gvardiol were positioned too narrow to attract one of the Sunderland players' from our wingers(s). During possession, it seemed to me that Gvardiol was a bit lost in terms of decision-making as he was constantly looking around to figure out his outlet.
Now, man-marking has its benefits but its biggest weakness is that we can easily manipulate it. Cherki was being marked by primarily Xhaka and sometimes Sadiki but the latter had clear instructions to stay central. This is why when Cherki started drifting wide, there was no marker following him, giving him time and space to maneuver.
Cherki drifting wide also helped ease of the pressure from our wingers, who were constantly mogged with 2v1s. His cross for our third goal also came from the right-flank.
Also, let's not forget to appreciate his brilliance in finding the opposition net when that Sunderland back-4 was as narrow as it could be. Subtle delay in taking the shot with a calm head can do wonders to exploit the narrowest of spaces and Cherki is a master of that.
A lot to improve upon but we have seen 3 to 4 moments of individual brilliance to give us the 3-2 lead.