From the way things are going, Sunderland’s decade-long stay in the Premier League is set to come to an end. They can’t seem to string wins together and are looking shaky at best all over the pitch. With 13 league games left, can they find the boost they’re looking for and avoid relegation before time runs out?
Sunderland’s poor run of form throughout the season was something the fans certainly did not expect before the campaign began. The Black Cats did well in their pre-season fixtures, unbeaten in all six of them, and even managed to clinch a well-deserved draw against German giants Borussia Dortmund.
However, it was soon made clear that all the pre-season friendlies in the world did not matter one bit if the players won’t be able to deliver the goods in competitive fixtures. Indeed, Sunderland failed to win in their first ten games. The first game they would win was three months into the season, when they defeated Bournemouth 2-1 in auspicious fashion, with striker Jermain Defoe clinching the victory with a goal from the spot.
They would secure three more wins out of six until Christmas, but would soon return to their losing streak. Sure enough, the Wearside giants would win only one out of their eight league games since Boxing Day, and their unfortunate run is showing no signs of stopping.
Manager David Moyes must be wondering what he must do to stop the rot at the Stadium of Light. And while he is certainly in the position to think of his own solutions, here are three ways Sunderland could get back to winning ways.
Stop Relying Too Much on Jermain Defoe
The 34-year-old Defoe, in stark contrast to his club’s fortunes, has been in scintillating form this season, scoring 14 goals in the league so far. He is currently the fifth-highest goalscorer in the Premier League and is looking at ways to score more in each passing game.
However, it seems that only Defoe is playing his part in scoring goals for Sunderland this season. Indeed, the league strugglers have only scored a total 24 goals this season, meaning Defoe has scored more than half the goals the team has tallied during this campaign – which is simply unacceptable. Other players must contribute in the offensive and shoot whenever an opportunity arises. After all, they are playing for their survival.
Be More Assertive
While they are certainly underdogs, Sunderland should stop having a small-team mentality and try to take more chances in attack. As it stands, they have the second-lowest goal attempts in the league, at just above nine shots per game. Chelsea, in contrast, are averaging no less than 14, and they are not even the team with the highest shots rate. If Sunderland keep to themselves in their own half and not venture out and try to attack, they definitely won’t score.
Stop the long balls
When you have players in your team who can pull off long balls on a whim, like Manchester United’s Paul Pogba or Liverpool’s Adam Lallana, you can be forgiven if you do such long passes more often than the usual. But if you always play in your own half and don’t have a player in your ranks capable of doing such passes, then stick to shorter passing. Keep the ball. If you have the ball, then you won’t concede a goal.