A POINT MADE!

Let’s be honest - if Dan Ballard stays on the pitch, that’s a different game entirely. Up until the sending off, Sunderland weren’t just holding their own, they were shaping the game. Solid at the back, composed in possession, and carrying a real threat. Take Ballard out of that, and you don’t just lose a defender - you lose the spine of it. With eleven men, that structure holds, and you’d back Sunderland to go on and win.

But what’s really elevating Ballard now - and it’s impossible to ignore - is how much his range of passing has come on.

It’s not just the simple stuff anymore. We’re seeing him open his body up and ping diagonals with real intent, switching play quickly, breaking lines, and turning defence into attack in a split second. Balls into the channels, clipped passes into midfield, even those longer, driven switches that stretch a team, it’s like that side of his game has gone up a level overnight.

That’s what makes the defensive midfield shout even more interesting. Because now you’re not just talking about a destroyer, you’re talking about someone who can win it and use it. Someone who can sit in front of the back four, read danger early, and then start moves with quality rather than just laying it off sideways.

Of course, you’d still be sacrificing a dominant centre-half, and that’s a big call. But in certain matches, where control in the middle is everything, Ballard’s evolving skillset makes it a genuine option.

One thing’s for sure - he’s no longer just a no-nonsense defender. He’s becoming a complete footballer.