00:00why new players coming from outside the Premier League
00:02into the Premier League often find it quite hard to adapt.
00:05I think you've seen Florian Berts has found it really hard to adapt.
00:09And so the fact that Sunderland seemed to have had a very clear policy
00:11of signing quick, physical players, who can also play,
00:16but clearly the physicality is part of it,
00:19that was one of the things I was really encouraged by.
00:22So if we ever get our first choice midfield back again,
00:26Xhaka, Jarrah and Siddiqui, all three of them are technically good.
00:30All three of them are physically really powerful players.
00:34Xhaka is obviously more of a passer.
00:35The other two carry it a bit more.
00:36But that three, I think that is a midfield that it's probably a top half.
00:41Just mid-table Premier League midfield.
00:45And that's a great thing to have.
00:46Now, I'm not sure that we've quite got the balance right
00:50between that three and the front three.
00:51I know against Forest, for instance, Siddiqui played a bit wider
00:55and Lefeuille played inside.
00:58Maybe that is the way to do it to get a bit more creativity in the centre
01:01and use Siddiqui's physicality to pin in the opposing right back.
01:06But I really like that three.
01:08I think the balance that three is very, very good.
01:10It's just how you then get the interaction between that and the front three.
01:13This is a great discussion, isn't it, James?
01:15I mean, we're going to talk about Noah Siddiqui in a minute
01:17and how big an absence that is for Saturday.
01:19But what do you make of that?
01:21Jonathan's mentioned in there that it's probably the midfield
01:23and the defence that has been the most impressive this season.
01:27I guess a part of me wonders a little bit if that's also because
01:30the money that Sunland has spent in those positions
01:33goes a lot further when you're talking about defenders and midfielders.
01:36And actually, when you look at the profile of players
01:38Sunland have signed in the forward areas,
01:4018, 20 million, it doesn't get you proven wingers and strikers at this level.
01:44Maybe that's going to be a longer-term kind of process.
01:47Yeah, I really like Sunland's middle three when they're all fit and firing.
01:51I think they all do something that the others don't, if that makes sense.
01:55There was a lot of chat about Granit Xhaka coming in.
01:57We signed him when he was 32.
01:59He's since turned 33.
02:00Are his legs gone?
02:01Sort of, what's he coming here for?
02:03And he's been excellent, really.
02:04But I think Noah Siddiqui, in particular, has given him the platform to perform.
02:10Siddiqui does a lot of the dirty work, the dog work, doesn't he?
02:12His interceptions are very good, but he's quite progressive.
02:15His numbers are very high.
02:16And I think, as well, there's some things that can't be measured in statistics.
02:20When Hulme bombs forward on the right from defence, Siddiqui tends to drop in.
02:24That sort of positional awareness in the Premier League for, what, a 20-year-old,
02:27I think is quite impressive.
02:29And Habib Diarra, as well.
02:30I'm hoping to see him again soon after he recovers from his groin surgery,
02:33because he's very powerful and he can progress the ball, can't he,
02:37with the ball at his feet.
02:38And I think that's hugely important in the Premier League.
02:40We've seen with transitions numerous times already this season,
02:43not just in Sunderland games, but up and down the league,
02:46that if you've got a ball carrier, you can counter-attack quickly,
02:48where that's hugely beneficial.
02:51So I think it's hugely positive.
02:52But the negative at the moment is that two of the three are looking likely
02:56to be out for at least a little while.
02:58So it's all eyes on some of Sunderland's fringe players.
03:01Yeah, I spoke to, when I first saw Siddiqui play,
03:04which I think will have been against Sevilla in pre-season,
03:08and I spoke to Rajis Labriss the next day and I said,
03:11like, wow, that guy runs, doesn't he?
03:13And interestingly, Labriss said one of the things he talked about
03:15when they were going through the recruitment meetings
03:17and looking at his clips and stuff was Labriss had told Siddiqui
03:20that he felt he was probably running a little bit too much.
03:23So what we're seeing this season is Siddiqui cutting back on his running,
03:26which I think is incredible.
03:27But I also think he's probably, I don't know what you think,
03:31John, I'll get your thoughts on this.
03:32I think he's probably irreplaceable within this squad
03:35in terms of what he can do in his running.
03:38I think Labriss is probably going to have to do something
03:41a little bit different on Saturday,
03:42because I don't think there's a guy in the squad where you go,
03:45yeah, you go in and do that.
03:46I think he's going to have to reshuffle things a bit.
03:48I know you don't see us every week necessarily,
03:49but what's your kind of thoughts on that?
03:51No, I think that's...
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