Has Black Cat Cattermole Used up all Nine Lives?
Almost overnight we all bore witness to an unlikely transformation. In fact, we’ve been left scratching our heads in bewilderment. Seemingly, in the blink of an eye, Sunderland’s Lee Cattermole has gone from being named North East Football Writers’ Player of the Year to understudy for Jordi Gomez. Recently, Gomez made a surprise start, preferred over Catts in the home game against Spurs. If we’re honest though, it’s difficult to argue with Advocaat’s decision to drop the Teessider based on his performance this season.
A hugely influential presence both on and off the pitch Cattermole was key in staving off relegation for the past two years. It was surely for this reason that only this summer the club saw fit to offer Catts a new deal to tie him to Sunderland until 2021. So why the sudden change in fortunes? Well, let’s scrutinise just what might be the root cause(s).
First of all, this season has seen Advocaat hand Cattermole a different ask. The current campaign has seen new boy Yann M’Vila being deployed in that deep lying enforcer role previously occupied by Catts. Instead the former Wigan captain has been pushed slightly further up field and as a result has been seen rushing around the pitch like a balloon that’s just had the air let out.
There’s been a lack of discipline in Cattermole’s game this season, yet this should not surprise anyone who watches Sunderland regularly. But what has been most alarming is the laxness with which he’s gone about the task in hand. Now that he no longer simply marshals the back four, the added freedom to roam a wider expanse on the pitch has become Cattermole’s cross to bear. He’s looked uncomfortable, off the pace and frankly droppable.
Maybe another reason for the downturn in performance is the arrival of M’Vila. Having joined on loan in the summer transfer window M’Vila looks a far, far superior all round footballer. Cattermole has not had any real direct competition for his place since former captain Lorik Cana left the club in 2010. Is Catts struggling to face up to the fact that he’s no longer the first name on the team sheet for that role? Maybe, although his character suggests that he would relish the challenge rather than wilt because of it.
Has our number 6 still got something to offer? Sure he has. We’re at the early stages of the season and when you distil the matter down to its simplest, he’s a player who is having a dip in form. It happens to the best of them and Cattermole is no different in this regard. The change in his performance has been sudden and therefore it can improve again just as quickly. It’s about getting to grips with a new role and acclimatising accordingly.
The issue for Cattermole, Advocaat and indeed Sunderland is that we’re not in a position to afford Catts the luxury of time whilst adapting to this new role. We aren’t a team that has the overall quality to withstand any significant drop in standards, not even by one individual. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts yes, but when one of those components is operating well below par it weakens the very foundations from which the structure is built. Put simply the Black Cats can’t carry passengers. Lee Cattermole needs to find a way to improve any way he can and fast or he may find himself warming the bench for longer than he’d like.
