Sunderland must find a way to contain one talented Birmingham City man today

Sunderland take on Birmingham City in the Championship this afternoon, and one Blues player may be at the front of Michael Beale’s thoughts.

Sunderland head to Birmingham City where the Black Cats go up against former boss Tony Mowbray.

After departing from the Stadium of Light in December and taking Wayne Rooney’s place in January, the 60-year-old was unemployed for a matter of weeks.

After taking charge of five Championship games, Mowbray has seen his team win two, draw one, and lose two. Following a victory over Blackburn Rovers in midweek, his team is currently six points above the drop zone.

In January, Birmingham City managed to hold onto Jordan James, while the Blues signed some impressive new players, such as Seung-Ho Paik and Alex Pritchard, a former player for Sunderland who is injured for today’s match.

Jordan James could dictate the game today

Atalanta had James, 19, on their wanted list in January.

In the end, they were unable to sign him, so he is still at St. Andrew’s, where Mowbray is helping him thrive.

James played on the left side of an attacking midfield three against Blackburn Rovers, but he can frequently drop in and take Koji Miyoshi’s place at number ten.

James is a physically powerful player who is very helpful in the transition, and Mowbray has called him a player with “huge attributes.” This could be a perfect fit for Mowbray’s style.

He’s got an eye for goal with six from midfield in the Championship this season; many of which coming from the edge of the box where the Welsh international likes to drive forward and find the bottom corner.

How Michael Beale can curb James’ impact in the match against Sunderland
James can play well both with and without the ball. Beale needs a player close to him at all times because he can beat his man or find a nice pass with the ball at his feet.

Trai Hume will have to contain James’s influence if he starts on the left today. Following up with another strong performance in the middle of the week, the Northern Irishman should welcome the challenge of playing against James.

That might be a problem, though, if James plays more in the infield.

This season, Dan Neil and Pierre Ekwah have primarily played as Sunderland’s central midfielders, with Neil handling the playmaking duties and Ekwah handling more of the defensive duties.

Despite the fact that Ekwah’s play has occasionally been questioned this season, Mowbray might see that as a possible weakness in the team and allow James to roam freely in the no. 10 position to see how much damage he can do.

Seeing how Sunderland lines up and whether Beale tries to counter James’ threat in the midfield will be highly interesting.