Here are Keir Bradwell‘s man-by-man ratings from the less than impressive afternoon at Turf Moor. Sorry, Burnley fans – Lukas Jutkiewicz may well have been the best player on the pitch but these are Sunderland ratings only …
Mannone – 6
Stable. Not much to write home about, but he did fairly well.
Vergini – 3
Really, really poor. Beaten constantly in defence, especially in the first half. The worst Vergini performance since Liverpool last season.
O’Shea – 5
Failed to impress. Struggled to cope with a poor Burnley attack, although we kept a clean sheet so you can’t be too harsh.
Brown – 6
O’Shea, but marginally better.
van Aanholt – 7
Hit the post! Surprisingly, the most defensively capable of our full-backs; was very important going forward too.
Cattermole – 6
His early season tailed off a bit today. He was far from the worst player on the pitch, but he didn’t stand out as he usually does.
Larsson – 6
I’m not usually a big Larsson fan, but these last performances I’ve found more encouraging than usual. Seems to drive us forward from defence in a way nobody else really does. Not a glamorous player, but an important one nonetheless.
Rodwell – 7
The pick of the bunch, midfielder-wise. Was very strong in tackles and possession, more so than in previous weeks. (Maybe he’s starting to get match fit—Ed.)
Johnson – 5
Made a few runs now and then, but never wanted to deliver a ball –always passing it back into the midfield. Part of the reason we looked so toothless in attack—there were no balls into the box.
Wickham – 5
Disappointing. Not much to say on him, other than that he’s now the evidence that we really, really needed another striker in the transfer window.
Giaccherini – 6
Quietly impressive. His work-rate is the best part of his game and he was the best of our attacking trio on the day. Even so, he wasn’t as good as when he comes on as a sub late on in a game; I’d be tempted to persist with Alvarez in the starting 11 for now.
Gomez – 6
Seemed to have the most desire of anyone on the pitch by the time he came on, and was important in much of our play towards the end.
Altidore – 3
I am a huge Altidore fan. I still maintain he’ll do well eventually, but against Burnley he was woeful. His first touch was the length of a pass.
Buckley – 5
Didn’t really have much impact.
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