Gus Poyet Analyzes Why Jozy Altidore Has Flopped at Sunderland: Nightly Soccer Report

At this stage of Jozy Altidore’s second season in the Premier League, you have to ponder which of his spells were worse — his season at Hull City or this current season with Sunderland. The young American striker has only scored one goal in the league for the Black Cats.

Up until this point, Sunderland manager Gus Poyet has been incredibly patient and supportive of Altidore, but the striker paid the price for his poor performances of late by not being included in the League Cup Final squad against Manchester City.

Since then, Altidore has remained positive in training and has played in the first team for Sunderland while Steven Fletcher has been injured, but the rubber will meet the road this Monday when Sunderland hosts West Ham United in a must-win relegation match.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s match, here’s what Gus Poyet told The Shields Gazette newspaper about Jozy Altidore’s current situation at the club

“I think Jozy has been finding it difficult for a number of reasons. It is a mixture of how we have been playing, of the position he has been playing and just the fact that it hasn’t been running for him.“It’s the way football goes sometimes too – sometimes you make a run to the front post and the ball goes to the back, then you make a run to the back post and the ball goes to the near post. It can happen time and time again and then you get paranoid and start thinking is it happening on purpose?

“But you can just have runs where you’re in roughly the right area but the ball just won’t drop to you, and I think Jozy has suffered a bit of that.”

“With Jozy, it has been hard for him. It was a great challenge for him to come back to England, to prove he could be better second time around than first.

“There’s nothing that can be done about the season so far and the games that have gone, so what Jozy has to do is to accept that and look to finish the season strongly in the games he’s involved in.”

Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:

Premier League

• Gus Poyet analyses why Jozy Altidore has flopped — The Shields Gazette
• Premier League: How NBC Sports got soccer fans out of bed — The Hollywood Reporter
• Roberto Martínez puts his house on a rebuild at Everton’s training ground — The Guardian
• Sergio Aguero ruled out of Manchester City’s trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal — Daily Star
• Richard Scudamore admits technology could help settle ‘factual matters’ — The Guardian
• Manchester United troubles ‘affect Premier League brand’ — BBC Sport
• Jose Mourinho not surprised by Liverpool’s title charge. More mind games? — Pro Soccer Talk
• Tim Krul blow for Newcastle as keeper is ruled out for three weeks with knee injury — The Mail
• Christian Benteke’s future placed in fresh doubt by his agent — The Mirror
• Hillsborough disaster police officers identified as suspects in ‘cover-up’ — The Guardian
• Marouane Fellaini accused of spitting toward Pablo Zabaleta as video emerges — Bleacher Report
• Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson should have done a ‘Shankly’ and found successor from own boot room — Telegraph
• Besiktas linked with Tottenham defender Kaboul — Haringey Independent
• David Silva’s fitness in question for Manchester City’s Arsenal game — The Guardian
• Southampton: Maya Yoshida ruled out for six weeks — BBC Sport
• Hull City’s Eldin Jakupovic recalled as Allan McGregor stays in hospital — The Guardian
• Hull City goalkeeper Allan McGregor wins red card appeal — The Telegraph
• Hull keeper Allan McGregor out for rest of season with kidney damage — The Guardian
• Brendan Rodgers taps into the spirit of the Seventies as they gear-up for Premier League title run-in — Telegraph
• Bacary Sagna: Arsene Wenger dismisses ‘illegal’ Manchester City approach and remains confident of keeping Arsenal defender — Independent
• Arsene Wenger still regrets missing out on Yaya Toure — Soccerlens
• Rio Ferdinand admits he is ashamed to show his face in public due to Manchester United’s dismal season — Telegraph
• Breakthrough in online streaming as Swansea upload highlights of their 2-2 draw with Arsenal on YouTube — 101GG
• Big Data: Would number geeks make better football managers? — BBC Sport
• Ex-Man United man Gary Neville offers Piers Morgan a job as Salford FC’s new kitman after buying club — 101GG
• After a game I’d work at the pub until 1am, says West Bromwich Albion defender Craig Dawson — Telegraph
• Daniel Sturridge: I’d score 20 a season if Chelsea gave me a chance — The Guardian

International soccer

• Porto Alegre confirmed as Brazil World Cup host city — BBC Sport
• Platini says he is the only one who ‘could’ beat Blatter to FIFA presidency — Inside World Football
• Victor Valdés expected to miss World Cup after tearing ACL ligament — The Guardian
• FIFA plans big hike in 2018 World Cup prize money — Inside World Football
• Mexico’s Herrera calls on 18 for USA friendly, but not Oribe Peralta, Aldo de Nigris — Sports Illustrated
• Stephen Ireland’s ‘dead’ granny tells Roy Keane: ‘Pick my grandson’ — The Guardian
• Michel Platini is the unstoppable idiot his latest crazy plan will destroy brilliant Euros — The Mail

Football League

• Leeds United players paid only 50 per cent of wages – by forbidden Italian businessman Massimo Cellino — Telegraph
• Leeds United takeover: Players agree to defer some wages amid uncertainty — The Independent
• Ken Bates back in Leeds mix — Political Economy of Football
• Richie Barker sacked as Portsmouth manager — BBC Sport
• Stuart Pearce rejects emotional return to Nottingham Forest after holding talks with his old club — The Telegraph

La Liga

• Barcelona agree deal to sign Alen Halilovic from Dinamo Zagreb — Sky Sports

The Nightly Soccer Report is tomorrow’s news today. It’s often tomorrow morning’s worldwide newspaper headlines that are published the night before. We do all the work for you, combing the Internet and aggregating the news for you. Read The Nightly Soccer Report on World Soccer Talk every night before bed, so you can stay on top of all the news that matters.