da imperador bet： Sunderland fans will be hurriedly counting down the days now until their beloved Black Cats do battle again in the Premier League.
da leao： In an ideal reality, those of a Wearside persuasion love to have seen their high-flying team continue to play during the international break, instead of having to take an enforced pause.
Indeed, Regis Le Bris’ men find themselves in an uncharted fourth position in the Premier League table at the time of writing, which is some feat, considering the Frenchman has only just guided the Black Cats back up to the big time.
A huge part of their whirlwind success story so far has been Granit Xhaka, who is already being viewed as one of Sunderland’s most cherished figures of recent years.
How Xhaka compares to other Sunderland captains
Before delving deeper into Xhaka becoming an instant fan favourite at the Stadium of Light, he isn’t the only notable recent captain who plied his trade on Wearside.
Just last season, Luke O’Nien would bravely battle for the Black Cats all campaign long, donning the armband, with Sunderland’s former number one goalkeeper in Anthony Patterson, even going out of his way to hail him as a “leader.”
With three goals and 16 clean sheets under his belt, it’s clear why he was described in such glowing terms, with O’Nien arguably as important to his side’s promotion efforts, as Xhaka has proven to be in punching above their weight in the league above.
Other notable faces who have been given the weighty pressure of the Black Cats armband in recent years include John O’Shea, who made 256 appearances for the Wearside outfit, all of which came in the Premier League.
Of course, there was also the no-nonsense approach of Lee Cattermole, but not even his full-bloodedness for the cause, nor his six-goal contributions in the big time, could keep Sunderland from eventually slipping down to League One.
This is where Sunderland has undoubtedly hit the jackpot with Xhaka, with his £13m arrival through the door in the summer raising the standards of everyone around him, so much so that relegation already feels very unlikely.
The Swiss has also singlehandedly been a force to get Sunderland over the line in tense matches, too, with a goal fiercely put away against Everton at the start of November, securing a 1-1 draw, which was also collected off the back of the ex-Arsenal warrior, winning five duels to keep the Toffees at bay.
The concern will be that Xhaka, despite looking like a fine wine now, is 33 years of age, meaning he won’t be a long-term captain option.
Thankfully, Le Bris may already have a future captain on his hands.
Sunderland's future captain
While the majority of the talk so far this season has centred on the number of brand-new signings that have made the step-up to the Premier League look effortless, Le Bris should also be commended for what he’s managed to get out of stars who have been there since the club’s Championship days.
Wilson Isidor is already up to four Premier League goals after bagging 13 in the second tier last season. Moreover, Daniel Ballard has looked formidable in the heart of Le Bris’ defence when handed opportunities to shine, having been noted as a “diamond” for how much he puts his body on the line, early into his Sunderland career by his former Stadium of Light boss in Tony Mowbray.
In the here and now, much like Xhaka, he has become a dependable warrior for Le Bris to trust in, with the Northern Ireland international firing home that effort past David Raya last time out in league action to hand the hosts a shock one-goal advantage over top-of-the-table Arsenal.
His underlying numbers aren’t that far off the 33-year-old’s either, with his similar fight and passion, as Sunderland try to gain as many early-season victories as possible, standing him in good stead to succeed the midfield veteran as the Black Cats’ next dominant and assured captain.
Games played
9
11
Goals scored
2
1
Assists
0
3
Touches*
42.2
70.4
Accurate passes*
24.3 (83%)
44.9 (83%)
Clearances*
6.6
3.8
Total duels won*
6.6
6.1
Amazingly, despite starting just six Premier League games this season, owing to injury problems popping up, Ballard has trumped Xhaka notably in terms of duels won per match, with a mighty six won just against Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.
He isn’t a million miles away in other areas, either, with Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley highlighting Ballard’s sharp rise to become a Premier League-calibre defender as “phenomenal”.
For the time being, the Black Cats will continue to rely on the experience and know-how of their Basel-born midfielder.
Still, the commanding number five is definitely a worthy heir to Xhaka’s intimidating throne.
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