Why Sunderland's excellent start to the Premier League campaign helps to promise Premier League survival
Eleven games into the Premier League, Sunderland sit fourth in the table on 19 points, only behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea. Yet this is a side that came into the play-offs without a win in 6 games, and who often fielded a team that cost them less than £10 million in the Championship last season (Sunderland AFC News). Furthermore, this is a side that was languishing in the depths of League One only 3 years ago.
So how did they get here?
In 2017, Sunderland were relegated from the Premier League. This had been hanging over their heads for years, and the appointment of David Moyes and their tendency for signing the ‘ageing and overpaid’ (Independent) pulled them first into the Championship, and then League One after an embarrassing season.
There, they were stuck for 4 seasons and in that time they achieved their lowest ever league finish for the club, hitting 8th in League One. For a working class city in the North, a one club city, a city where football is everything, this was heart-breaking. To quote a fan from the infamous documentary ‘Sunderland Til’ I Die’, ‘Sunderland Football Club is Sunderland’.
Yet in 2021, hope was soon sparked. A new ownership group headed by Kyril Louis-Dreyfus bought the club, aiming to introduce the Brighton-Brentford model to the club, with data led recruitment and trying to buy low-sell high.
Love was once again shown to the academy, with prospects Patterson and Niel joining cheaply bought players like Luke O’Nien and Dennis Cirkin to promote them from League One.
Later signings like Jobe Bellingham (you may know his brother) and Daniel Ballard helped build the side further. The final piece of the puzzle was manager Regis Le Bris, appointed to little fanfare, but who soon guided them to a 4th place finish in 24/25.
Yet they still entered the play-offs with little hopes of promotion, however, stoppage time winners from Daniel Ballard against Coventry and another by academy product Tommy Watson against Sheffield Untied in the play-off final would see them reach the promised land of the Premier League.
Despite the play-off success, Sunderland remained the weaker of the promoted sides, with Championship winners, Leeds, and second placed Burnley, sat 24 points ahead of Sunderland and with far more Premier League experience. The last two seasons had also seen all 3 promoted sides go down in embarrassing fashion – adding to Sunderland’s fans anxiety.
The hill to climb was steep. The early departure of Jobe Bellingham raised many eyebrows. However, early editions like Diarra, Adingra, Sadiki, Reinildo and Masuaku helped to make survival seem possible.
The real landmark piece of business though was Granit Xhaka. The club labelled it a ‘game changer’, and the media thought so as well. It saw Xhaka not only turn down more time at Leverkusen but also far more lucrative contracts in Saudi (SkySports). This was a coup, £11 million for a Premier League proven, Bundesliga winning, midfield maestro who could be defensively solid and conduct play from the back. Xhaka also helped attract people to the club, with Brian Brobbey, initially unconvinced, coming around to the project when he saw the calibre of player that arrived at the club.
Spending money however, can only get you so far. Other promoted teams like Ipswich had done the same and come straight back down.
With Sunderland, the difference was immediate though. At the back, the new arrivals of Roefs, Alderete and Mukiele have seen them concede only 10 goals, the fourth lowest in the division.
Xhaka and Sadiki have often started together in midfield, the ageing star conducting play while Sadiki runs laps of the pitch, winning as many balls as he can. Even players from the Championship have been doing well, with players like Isidor and Ballard making the step up with little qualms.
This is not to speak of Regis Le Bris pragmatic and effective tactics. He often uses a high press, as well as a rapid trigger press that sees them hit teams on the counter, sacrificing possession but getting the results.
Their first game was an initial 3-0 thrashing of West Ham, followed by impressive results at Palace, Forest and even a win at Chelsea seeing them climb the table early on. This was solidified against Arsenal, a 2-2 draw at home against the league leaders and the current league favourites. Arsenal hadn’t conceded in 8 matches up to that match, and Sunderland managed to successfully take a point.
An impressive start sets Sunderland up well. No team has got above 11 points within the first 10 games and gone down, which bodes well for the Black Cats. Despite potential AFCON departures mid-season, Le Bris looks set to guide his side to security and maybe more. It seems the days of battling it out in League One are gone, and the future for Sunderland AFC and the city itself seem to be bright.
Image: The JPS (https://rb.gy/izvi7j)