'Fine details' makes big difference for Sunderland as Callum Styles admits transition issue

Barnsley loanee Callum Styles seemed to repeat what his manager said after Sunderland’s 1-0 home defeat to Millwall. It is unclear whether the midfielder will be kept beyond the end of this season but the likelihood is he will return to his parent club.

After losing to Millwall, Styles said: “I thought we dominated the game but didn’t really have the killer instinct. We just couldn’t hurt them and we just got caught on a transition which we knew before the game but we didn’t deal with it.

“They had 11 men behind the ball, we knew that, we knew how they played, and we got into some good areas, but didn’t really hurt them and got done on a transition. I think there was a naivety in terms of we knew what we were coming up against but it’s just the little, fine details in games like this, they can either go for you or against you in a stodgy game so unfortunately it went against us.”

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Styles has enjoyed playing in recent matches and added: “Yes we’ve been doing really well obviously. Here we dominated the game and it’s just the fine details again. It either goes for you or against you and at the minute it’s going against us. We said before the game they could hurt us in transition and they had one moment where they hurt us whereas we had the majority of the ball but couldn’t hurt them so it’s the fine details as I’ve said.”

It’s a trip to Watford next and Styles added: “The away fans have been excellent and we need to go there and enjoy the game and play with a bit more freedom. I think we were a bit static [against Millwall]. We need more movement and to go and enjoy it because when we do that we play better and we win games.”