Michael Beale reveals his ‘unexpected’ choice to feature Abdoullah Ba after bad performance

Michael Beale has defended Sunderland teenager Abdullah Ba after his bad performance in the 3-0 loss to Coventry City.

It is reasonable to assume that this weekend did not go as planned for any Sunderland fan or Michael Beale. The manager’s first game in charge at the Stadium of Light ended in a crushing defeat.
Despite having more possession than the opposition and creating more predicted goals on the day, the Black Cats were unable to score, according to FotMob. This has highlighted the Championship’s absence of a striker who can guarantee goals.

With only one goal in their past three games, there is certainly a problem with taking chances among the group. Abdoullah Ba started up front against Coventry but received little praise.

What is known about Abdoullah Ba?

Ba has appeared in all three of Sunderland’s recent games, but has been replaced in all of them. He has typically failed to impress in his cameo appearances this season, particularly as a lone striker.

Beale spoke with Chronicle Live on the starting XI and the problems the Black Cats are facing right now.

“They didn’t return to train with the group until a light session on Wednesday or Thursday,” he said. We went with bringing Jobe [Bellingham] back in [in place of midfielder Alex Pritchard, who missed out due to sickness] and retained a fairly stable lineup from the previous week.I thought it didn’t work in the first half; to be honest, we looked a little powder-puff in the final third, albeit our approach play wasn’t horrible.”

Fans and analysts alike were skeptical of Sunderland manager Alan Irvine’s comments about his team.

For example, the Chronicle Live’s player ratings were less than favorable. Particularly of Ba and his performance.

They stated, “Fans cheered when he was substituted, which really says it all.” His touch was awful throughout, and he squandered a golden opportunity in the first half. Woeful.”

Beale must admit that he was pleased with the Frenchman’s performance. Despite his horrifying miss, he stated that “Abdoullah actually started the second half quite well.”

The Black Cats are having a terrible time, especially in terms of attacking. All supporters want to see Ba’s performances improve, but whether that happens remains to be seen.