FAN FARE | Black Cats striker is on the Wyke track

Charlie Wyke's current form has taken most, if not all, Sunderland fans by complete surprise.

Having not seen the qualities Wyke was supposed to bring to the side for nearly two seasons, seeing his transformation, specifically under Lee Johnson, has been a welcome sight.

Under the Black Cats' previous boss Phil Parkinson, Wyke was nothing more than a target man and a ’foil’ for other attackers. His remit was often simple, yet hard to execute; generally isolated, Wyke struggled to hold the ball up for support that would rarely manifest itself.

The results were as poor as the football being played, with Wyke rarely scoring anything more than tap ins or occasionally benefitting from an error never too far away from your average League One defender.

©Getty / MI News

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

The change so far under Johnson hasn't been as dramatic as the stats would suggest with Wyke scoring seven goals from his 11 shots on target since Johnson's arrival in early December. They have however, been intelligent changes.

Previously tasked with simply occupying defenders, Wyke is now trusted to occupy the space beyond them. A move away from using Wyke purely as some kind of utility tool to get Sunderland up the pitch has allowed him to flourish with new-found responsibility and confidence.

More so, a shift away from the static and one-dimensional football of Parkinson has allowed an array of options to present themselves, benefiting none more than Wyke himself.

Of course, with such a change there have been teething issues, with Wyke at times struggling to identify the areas in which to attack, the timing of his runs and when are the right moments to lean into defenders.

When accompanied to other changes around the park, it always stood to reason it would take time for the manager's message to translate onto the pitch, but Wyke seems to be finding these situations with a new-found regularity, which is very promising. 

🚌 Most AWAY league goals in 2020/21 (top 4 tiers):

9⚽: 💥WYKE*💥, Vardy, João
8⚽: Son, Pukki, Toney, Mullin
7⚽: Bamford, Salah, Sinclair, Marquis, D Johnson, Muldoon

* 9 of 12 (75%) League One goals.#SAFC @SunderlandAFC @Charliewyke1 pic.twitter.com/0ySuzLvjMc

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) January 27, 2021

More variety, more goals

While Johnson's plans remain in their infancy, Wyke has shown signs of a maturity that has so far eluded him since his arrival on Wearside in September 2018. A mixture of improved movement, a good temperament and utilising his frame and abilities have married to an emergence of Sunderland's new, more varied style.

No longer a singular foil to occupy defenders, Wyke has adopted to variations in supply from either wing, or balls into space. Goals breed confidence and Wyke now appears to have a new-found and insatiable appetite for shooting, his previously nervy persona replaced by that of a striker unafraid to take a shot on. 

Wyke/Parkinson v Wyke/Johnson

©Getty / Ian Horrocks

What makes for further and potentially more interesting reading is how Wyke trends between the two managers he has played for this season.

In his 17 games under Parkinson, Wyke scored once directly from corners and four times from crosses into the area, thus completing his tally of five goals under said manager.

Similarly, Charlie has scored once directly from a corner and twice from crosses under Johnson. Where this gets interesting is that in only nine games under Johnson, Wyke has scored seven goals in total, suggesting both that Wyke is being more clinical and that the chances coming his way are clearer cut.

Of players with 10 or more League One goals this season, only Plymouth's Luke Jephcott (108 mpg) has a better minutes-per-goal rate than Wyke (130 mpg) this season and the signs are encouraging. 

𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗢𝗥 𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦?

While there have been signs of improvement under Lee Johnson, more is needed if we are to mount a promotion challenge.

So, where do we need to improve?

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Added creativity

Getting to the actual core of Wyke's upturn in form isn't actually that easy a task, it's multi-faceted and prefaced by a series of changes.

Tweaks to Wyke's play itself have brought their own rich rewards, but more subtle changes to patterns of play and formation have also allowed the burly striker to benefit most from the Black Cats' managerial change.

One of the more obvious modifications has been the regular inclusions of Aiden McGeady and Jack Diamond, as well as Aiden O’Brien.

©Getty / STU FORSTER

Whilst all of them operate primarily out wide, the variation between the three eradicates the predictability that defined Sunderland under Parkinson. Previously frozen out under the old regime, McGeady has been successfully reintegrated under Johnson and is having a significant impact.

With greater quality, mobility and a license to express themselves more freely, not only has Wyke found variations in his supply, but also much needed support and distraction.

Far too many times under Parkinson, Wyke was left to fend for himself against two centre-backs. Now with a buzzing forward line, space and mistakes are aplenty and this, in turn, allows Wyke more time and presents more opportunities.

Shaping up nicely

Another factor to Wyke's apparent upturn in form has been Sunderland's shape both on and off the ball.

Completely rigid in both attack and defence under Parkinson, there is a free-flowing element to Sunderland's attacking play at this moment in time, as evidenced by Wyke's most recent strike in the 1-0 win at Ipswich midweek. 

Rather than play long into the channels, Sunderland played between the lines and a flurry of rapid interplay on the right ended with Wyke sliding in clinically to convert a difficult chance with his left foot. Quick, incisive play with a cutting edge. 

This sort of fluidity has led to Wyke finding himself more involved with general play and, to my mind anyway, the more involved your striker is - the better.

Allowing Wyke these opportunities to be involved in the play rather than its sole focus has seen him pop up in an array of areas across the final third and involved him with passages of play that would previously have passed him by.

The result, of course, is not only more activity and a higher work rate, but a greater presence in and around the opposition's defence. By doing so, Wyke is creating not only partnerships with his team mates, but also more scope for defensive errors, be it to his own benefit or that of his playing partners.

Confidence is key

Once seen as a lazy and wasteful presence, Wyke is not only starting to become more involved in games, but influencing them too - no player scoring more matchwinning goals in the third tier in 2020/21 than the rejuvenated forward (3). 

The final key to the puzzle is an altogether more simple one - Wyke is confident. When a striker is confident, they get all the luck and at times, Wyke has had that in abundance.

Since Johnson's arrival, he has had faith and importance bestowed upon him in equal measure, which has seen the 'Teeside Inzaghi' develop into a quietly important player for Sunderland - this evidenced by Wyke scoring 40% of Sunderland's league goals this season (only Wimbledon's Joe Pigott - 42% - has scored a larger percentage of his team's goals). 

As long as Wyke is confident and his supply is good, the goals should continue to flow.

A confident Charlie Wyke is a different player from the one we have seen so far and, for Sunderland, we sincerely hope he stays that way.

🟥 𝗥𝗥 𝗫𝗧𝗥𝗔 𝗣𝗢𝗗! ⬜️

Previewing #SAFC Vs. Gillingham & looking at Lee Johnson’s strategies so far...

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— Roker Report (@RokerReport) January 29, 2021