For this one noteworthy statistic, two Sunderland players are currently ranked among the top ten in the Championship.
Sunderland is currently at mid-table in the Championship.
They’ve had a mixed season, and a 12th-place finish may be a fair reflection of how they’ve performed.
With Mike Dodds’ side having lost their past six games, Sunderland may be grateful for a 12th-place finish, with only nine points separating the Black Cats from the relegation zone.
But there are other positives to take away from this season, such as Jack Clarke’s improvement, who has scored 15 goals in the Championship and has become a hugely valuable asset in the process, and perhaps the rise of Jobe Bellingham, who has played more games than he expected.
In addition, the pair now ranks in the top ten of the Championship in one metric.
Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham among most fouled players in the Championship
Clarke and Bellingham are both dynamic players, with Clarke particularly so.
They can easily move past players and initiate assaults, which may explain why they are so high on the list of fouled players in the Championship.
According to The Punters Page, Leeds United’s Georginio Rutter is the most fouled player in the Championship this season, with 86 fouls drawn, followed by Clarke with 83.
Clarke has dribbled the most in the Championship this season (117), with Rutter coming in second (102).
Then Bellingham comes in with 58 fouls drawn, but only from 24 dribbles, making him the league’s sixth-most fouled player this season.
Sunderland draw fouls, something has to change
The number of fouls drawn by Sunderland players has been a regular topic of discussion among fans this season.
And it’s no surprise that Sunderland has been fouled the most in the Championship this season, with 484 fouls drawn.
It’s because they have a lot of players like Clarke and Bellingham who like to get on the ball and beat opponents; Patrick Roberts is one of them, as are Nazariy Rusyn, Pierre Ekwah, and Chris Rigg, to mention a few.
Opponent teams find it simpler to foul these players since they frequently get on the ball in the middle of the pitch or deeper in Sunderland’s own half, eliminating the possibility of a red card.
For Sunderland next season, whomever the manager is must find a method to reduce this number and get players like Clarke (who is likely to leave), Bellingham, and others farther up the pitch when they do have the ball.
Teams are figuring Sunderland out; merely committing fouls inhibits Sunderland’s forward style, and this run of six consecutive defeats indicates that the Black Cats are becoming very easy to play against.
Sunderland will host QPR in the Championship this weekend.
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