Player Focus: Kirchhoff's Commendable Recovery Following Disastrous Debut

It was a debut to forget for Jan Kirchhoff following his move to Sunderland. The January arrival was introduced as a second half substitute in the 4-1 defeat at Tottenham last month, yet struggled with the pace of the game. Christian Eriksen’s shot deflected off the rangy German and past Jordan Pickford following a half-hearted effort to deny the Dane from netting his third goal of the afternoon.

With a little over 10 minutes to play, the 25-year-old then conceded a penalty to compound a wholeheartedly disappointing cameo from the former Bayern Munich man. Such an outing could well have been enough to convince Sam Allardyce he was not ready for regular playing time, particularly given a host of injury problems in the past, but the Sunderland boss clearly had faith in Kirchhoff to better his ill-fated debut at White Hart Lane. Indeed, Allardyce has been repaid by Kirchhoff in the outings since the game in north London.

The January arrival was deployed at centre-back for his half hour spell against Spurs, presumably with Allardyce hoping to shut up shop in the capital, only for Sunderland to come undone a minute after Kirchhoff’s introduction. Since then, however, he has been readily utilised as the holding midfielder in Allardyce’s Sunderland side to great effect. His WhoScored rating as the deepest-lying midfielder is a respectable 7.24 since his switch in position.

With Allardyce at present favouring a 4-1-4-1 formation in the club’s bid to stave off the threat of relegation, Kirchhoff is providing a semblance of solidity in front of a defence that has conceded the joint-most goals (51) in the Premier League this season. His emergence as a key member for the Black Cats has allowed for Allardyce to push Lee Cattermole and Yann M’Vila further forward, with the latter in particular maximising the manager’s decision to deploy him in a more advanced role.

Perhaps the Frenchman’s strongest asset is his commendable reading of the game having averaged more interceptions per game (2.7) than any other Sunderland player this season. This allows the team to catch opposition defences unawares in their pursuit of goal, particularly if opposing sides have committed too many men forward. With Kirchhoff deployed deeper, there is a an extra layer of security provided to the defence, averaging the second most interceptions (2.6) of all Sunderland players whilst maximising his 6’5” frame.

He’s clearly not one to shirk his defensive responsibilities. Only fellow January arrival Wahbi Khazri (3.3) is making more tackles per game than Kirchhoff (3.2) of all players at the club. Indeed, Allardyce will be enthused by the performances of his January signing from the Bundesliga, with Kirchhoff far and away Sunderland’s highest rated player (7.84) in the weekend's 1-0 defeat to West Ham in what was another notable showing.

No player made more tackles than Kirchhoff (6) in the loss, while no Sunderland player made more interceptions (3). This battling display will have buoyed his manager and the club’s fans in the race to stave off relegation. Moreover, his experience in a relegation battle is likely to help this Sunderland side consolidate their place in England’s top tier. During his five years with Mainz 05, Kirchhoff was twice involved in battles to help the club beat the drop during his final two seasons prior to a move to Bayern.

While he will have become accustomed to success with the German champions, despite rarely featuring - in part due to injury - Kirchhoff clearly possesses the knowhow to help this Sunderland side survive. The experience he garnered in Germany will stand the player and club in very good stead as the Black Cats strive to consolidate their spot in England’s top tier.

After such a disastrous start to life in England, it’s a testament to Kirchhoff’s mental strength that he has been able to quickly turn his form around. Having missed the subsequent 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on the back of his forgettable debut, he returned to the side with aplomb, gaining a better WhoScored rating (7.99) than any other Sunderland player in the narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester City and earning huge praise from his manager in the process.

While his distribution requires refining - a pass success rate of 71.3% from his four starts in midfield is particularly poor given the position - all in all, Kirchhoff has impressed since establishing himself in the side in the middle of the park. If he can churn out similar performances to the ones against City and West Ham, the Black Cats stand a real chance of finishing the season out of the relegation zone once more.

How impressed have you been by Jan Kirchhoff's recovery following a poor start to life at Sunderland? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below