Mike Dodds reacted to Sunderland's win against West Brom, and praised the duo of Alex Pritchard and Jobe Bellingham who both had a big impact on the game...
PRITCH IMPACT
"I said it to him in the dressing room just there, it's not lost on me, the free kick and that clever reverse pass for Dan Neil. A great finish from Dan, as well. Pritch knows my thoughts on him, I've got a really good relationship with him and he's done exactly what I thought he would do in the game by making an impact. We'll see where he is for Tuesday night."
SQUAD ROTATION
"We’re coming up against two really good teams with really good coaches and Premier League budgets. We have to be really flexible in terms of how we set up from a tactical point of view and have to utilise the squad. Whether it’s Alex, someone who didn’t play today or someone who came on and played limited minutes, the reality is on Tuesday and even Saturday we have to rotate the squad. I’m delighted for Pritch, he’s a top footballer, a pleasure to work with and tactically really bright. I don’t need to tell the fanbase how technically good he is, his delivery for Ballard’s goal was top class."
JOBE GOAL DISALLOWED
“I try not to get too emotional in terms of getting wrapped up in those decisions because when you play against Carlos Corberan’s team, it’s a heavily tactical game. You’ve got to try and immerse yourself in the game, so I didn’t really think much about it and it wasn’t until just then the Lads said they think it was on side. But listen, we won the game, so it is what it is.”
RIGHT PLACE RIGHT TIME
"We have the privilege of being able to use a lot of resources, clips, data - all those sorts of things. Jobe had a goal at QPR that was chalked off, one today that was chalked off. He arguably should have scored at Leicester, he could have scored against Birmingham and Ipswich. What that shows is that he has a real knack of being in the right place at the right time, and I don't think you can coach that. What we have to do is just tidy those bits up.
ABLE TO PLAY UP FRONT
"I've had the privilege of coaching him from a very young age, and I watched him playing as a striker pretty much up until the U14s. It wasn't until he got a bit older that his position changed. I'm not saying he's a number nine, just that he's a player who has a knack of breaking the box and who can naturally find space in the box. The reality is that for an 18-year-old, with a bit of luck he could have almost double figures to his name this season. We'll see what Tuesday brings but as I've said before, the reality is I could play him anywhere on the pitch and he'd perform."
PLAY AGAIN V LEEDS?
"When you stand next to him... he's got a unique body for an 18-year-old. We'll see how the next 48 hours go, we've done most of our prep in terms of how we'll set up against Leeds United but we'll see how the next couple of games go and make a decision from there."
FIRST HALF V SECOND HALF
"I'm a perfectionist and I want to have complete control of the game, I didn't like elements of the first half where they had too much control of the ball, albeit without hurting us too much. I think they played through us and our shape a little too much. The second half I think is a Sunderland team regardless of who is in charge. Youthful, on the front foot, turning the game into 1-v-1 both attacking and defending. Being brave in and out of possession, the second half for me is a Sunderland team."
