Tony Mowbray has advised Jack Clarke, Sunderland’s in-form winger, to study videos of Thierry Henry during his prime at Arsenal in order to enhance his game. Clarke has had a remarkable start to the Championship season, scoring nine goals and leading the division’s goal-scoring charts.
Mowbray believes that Clarke can further improve by focusing on a specific attacking skill. He explained, “I’ve talked to him about striking the ball with no backswing. Think about Thierry Henry – he had no backlift, almost passing the ball, bending it into the far corner. Jack tends to take a swing at it, resulting in many of his shots getting blocked. I want him to work on a technique where, as he dribbles, he doesn’t break his stride and can finish without a wind-up. This way, defenders, having been one myself, won’t be able to anticipate the shot, lunge, and block it. If Jack can maintain his momentum with no backswing and simply pass the ball into the far corner, we’ll see more goals from him in the coming season.”
Sunderland is set to face Swansea this weekend, aiming to build on their impressive victory over Norwich City in their previous match. There is some positive news on the injury front as well. Summer signing Adil Aouchiche has returned to training and may be included in the squad for the upcoming game. Aji Alese, who hasn’t played this season, has also been spotted on the training pitches and is expected to feature for the Under-21s before making a first-team return.
Eliezer Mayenda could make his debut this weekend, as he was set to be a substitute last weekend but felt a minor muscle twinge during training. Mowbray anticipates his quick return to contention.
Mowbray is likely to continue with Nazariy Rusyn up front for the Swansea match after the Ukrainian forward’s first start against Norwich.
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