Places up for grabs to strike right balance – PP
Phil Parkinson says there are still places in his Sunderland side up for grabs, particularly in the forward line.
Will Grigg, Danny Graham and Charlie Wyke have all appeared in competitive games for the Black Cats this season, but none of the trio have been able to get off the mark in League One.
Grigg looked to be the man in possession after a promising pre-season campaign, but Parkinson opted to bring Graham into the starting line-up for the 2-0 win over Oxford United.
Rotation is likely to be a more prominent theme this season, particularly in October when the Cats play eight times in all competitions. That will give opportunities to all three, but Parkinson is still waiting for one of the trio to make the shirt their own.
Though Wyke has only a start in the EFL Trophy to his name so far this season, Parkinson was full of praise for his cameo from the bench last week. "In my mind, there's still players and positions that are up for grabs," Parkinson said.
"I do feel we've got a lot of tight calls to make and there are a lot of players who it is difficulttochoosebetween.That's great, it's what we want.
"It's about getting the balance of the side right and looking at the opposition, what are their strengths and weaknesses? Which of our front players can hurt them the most?
"We went with Danny Grahamupfrontlastweekbecause I felt that the left-sided centreback was new to league football," he explained.
"We're looking again at Peterborough at the combination of our front players that might give their back three problems. I feel this year we've got the option to do that and we're looking closely at training every day to pick the best team."