Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka was recently hit with a suspended £136k fine for obtaining a forged Covid-19 vaccination certificate in 2022 whilst he was playing for Arsenal.

The Switzerland international has taken responsibility for his actions and did not take part in his country's Nations League matches during the international break, due to the situation.

He trained with the Black Cats throughout the three-week break, instead of playing for his country, and was selected to start against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday in the Premier League.

Unfortunately, the central midfielder failed to rise above the controversy surrounding him by delivering a strong performance, instead struggling in the middle of the park.

Whilst commenting on the 2-0 defeat to Brighton for BBC Radio Newcastle, former Black Cats defender Gary Bennett criticised the Swiss star's display in midfield for Regis Le Bris' side.

The pundit said: Granit Xhaka sets such high standards but today he’s just not been at it. Again, Xhaka has given the ball away. It’s not like him."

Meanwhile, Sunderland Echo writer Phil Smith noted that the skipper "lost the ball too often" and that his efforts on goal were "poor", essentially criticising the quality of use of the ball.

These comments illustrate how underwhelming the midfield star's performance was for the Black Cats, as the experienced campaigner was criticised by pundits and the media.

2 How Xhaka struggled against Brighton

The left-footed star had enjoyed a strong start to the season in the Premier League before the international break, creating 13 chances and five 'big chances' for his teammates in the first five matches.

Unfortunately, he was unable to carry that quality on the ball over into the clash with Brighton, as the likes of Chema Andres and Pascal Gross pressed him into making too many mistakes in possession.

The 34-year-old veteran lost the ball a staggering 26 times without creating a single chance for his teammates on the day, failing with all seven of his attempted crosses.

Xhaka delivered a poor performance in possession, without a doubt, but his aforementioned form in the first five games suggests that this display against Brighton is only a blip, rather than being part of a larger problem.

1 Sunderland flop is a bigger problem than Xhaka

Le Bris has bigger things to worry about than his captain's form because of the performances of one of his summer signings, loanee central defender Kevin Danso.

When the Black Cats were last relegated from the Premier League, in the 2016/17 campaign, they signed an exciting loan player from a big six club by bringing Adnan Januzaj in on loan from Manchester City.

The Belgium international, though, ended that season with no goals in 25 appearances in the top-flight as Sunderland were relegated down to the Championship, failing to deliver on the hype that came with his arrival.

Danso is now in danger of becoming the club's next version of Januzaj because his performances have not been good enough since he signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

In the last two Premier League matches, the Austria international has lost five of his seven ground duels and six of his seven aerial battles, as his side have conceded seven times, losing 89% of his duels against Brighton alone.

He has not been good enough in the last two matches against Manchester City and Brighton, due to his physical and technical struggles, and he does not look like a player who has already played for a big six team, much like when Januzaj was at the club in 2016.

In four league starts for the Black Cats, the Spurs loanee has lost 55% of his ground duels and 75% of his aerial duels, whilst also losing the ball 13.3 times per game on average.

The 28-year-old central defender has been too weak defensively, allowing opposition players to get the better of him too often, and has not been reliable enough with the ball at his feet, coughing up possession frequently.

Danso is an even bigger problem than Xhaka, therefore, because the Sunderland skipper has provided quality on the ball in other games this season, and was dominant physically against Brighton.

Le Bris may, now, have to take the Spurs loanee out of the starting line-up in the coming weeks before he contributes to a relegation battle in the same way that Januzaj did a decade ago.