Why Mason Burstow and Bradley Dack were not included in Sunderland’s matchday roster yesterday
The Sunderland duo’s exclusion from the matchday squad to take on Watford has been explained by Mike Dodds.
Watford defeated Sunderland 1-0 yesterday, resulting in their second straight loss.
Despite only scoring four goals in the previous eight games, Mike Dodds has stuck with his preferred five-at-the-back configuration, which has helped them retain five clean sheets.
However, the interim coach did make two changes from the squad that fell short against Millwall last week: Bradley Dack was replaced by Adil Aouchiche, while Timothee Pembele was replaced by Trai Hume.
In fact, despite making his first start since Boxing Day, the midfield player wasn’t even included on the substitutes sheet.
Mason Burstow was also left off the roster for the fourth time this season, so Dack wasn’t the only one.
Since Sunderland’s 0-0 draw with QPR last month, the Chelsea loanee has not been on the field and has only been used as a substitute.
Tom Watson replaced Burstow on the bench, although Watson was also unable to get any playing time for the senior squad.
Why Mason Burstow & Bradley Dack went missing
Now that Dack and Burstow were absent from the team, Dodds has provided an explanation.
He said, “There was a little bit of that though that wasn’t the final decision,” to the Sunderland Echo’s question on if their absences were due to their departure from the club this summer.
“I didn’t want to add Bradley until he had completed a full week of training because he had been in and out of the program. I talked to Mason, and the reason for that was more that I didn’t envisage a situation where I would start both Mason and Luis Hemir on the field when I was organizing my bench.
Why Mason Burstow & Bradley Dack went missing
Now that Dack and Burstow were absent from the team, Dodds has provided an explanation.
He said, “There was a little bit of that though that wasn’t the final decision,” to the Sunderland Echo’s question on if their absences were due to their departure from the club this summer.
“I didn’t want to add Bradley until he had completed a full week of training because he had been in and out of the program. I talked to Mason, and the reason for that was more that I didn’t envisage a situation where I would start both Mason and Luis Hemir on the field when I was organizing my bench.
“Tommy Watson deserves a chance to be in and around the squad, I also thought when I watched him play for the U21s earlier this week. He has been practicing with us lately, and we’ll watch how he does when he returns next week.
Tom Watson is more worthy of a spot on the team.
Since Dack’s contract is about to end and Burstow is expected to return to Stamford Bridge shortly, fans have been pleading with Dodds to bench the two for weeks.
It seems like a ridiculous waste to offer the two a spot on the bench, especially considering that the teenager hasn’t played in any of the prior six games.
Watson has only been called on the bench three times this season; instead, we should be using their spots in the squad for some of our fantastic young players.
However, Dodds has hinted that Burstow may have played his final game for the squad, with Watson most likely to hold onto his job come championship Sunday.
With the final game against Sheffield Wednesday essentially determining where we finish in the table, perhaps he can acquire some playing time.
