Sunderland produced their second victory of the week today against Stoke City at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats won 2-0 thanks to goals from Patrick van Aanholt and Duncan Watmore after Ryan Shawcross was sent off for Stoke early in the second half. The result takes the Black Cats out of the relegation zone and up to 17th in the Premier League table.
The Sunderland Revival Continues
Back to back wins
Its not often Sunderland can celebrate back to back wins but they did it this week. 1-0 victories away to Crystal Palace and 2-0 at home to Stoke City have given Sunderland the perfect start going into a hectic and difficult month/festive period. Games against Arsenal, Watford, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool await the Black Cats in the next month, but if they can take this revival into those games then points are there to be had.
Another clean sheet
Two clean sheets in the last two games and three in the six since Allardyce took over. Big Sam said when he took over that Sunderland needed to get it right at the back and the signs are looking good. The next month will show how far the side have come under the guidance of Big Sam Allardyce.
Out of the Bottom three
Sunderland are out of the bottom three, much to the delight of everyone connected with the club. There are lot of games left to be played and a lot of hard work to be done but being out of the dreaded relegation zone will ease the pressure for now at least.
Patrick van Aanholt
A lot of stick has been thrown Patrick van Aanholt’s way, and a lot of it has been deserved as he has had an awful start to the season. However, during the last two games he has started to look like the player supporters saw glimpses of last season. He scored an excellent goal against Stoke, which will do him a lot of good. Sam Allardyce’s decision to switch the formation to 3-5-2 with van Aanholt on the left wing back may be the making of him. Time will tell, but if he can regain his confidence, today will have helped, then Sunderland may have a decent winger back on their books.
Duncan Watmore
Once again Duncan Watmore has made one of these lists and not one person can complain. He came on after 30 minutes when Jermain Defoe went off injured, instantly caused Stoke problems and was a menace to the Stoke team throughout. He also scored a well deserved goal which will only give him more confidence. He has recently signed a new contract and what a signing he is. He has signed until 2020 and Sunderland fans will have everything crossed that the club can keep hold of him in the years to come as he really could be a star for Sunderland and England
Confidence
Confidence is a big thing in football and cannot be underestimated. Goalkeeper Costal Pantilimon said during the week that they are now playing like a proper team. When confidence was low and results weren’t going the right way then playing like a proper team seemed like a difficult thing to achieve. It’s obvious that Allardyce and the team have worked hard on the training pitch and the recent international break seems to have been at the perfect time for Sunderland. After the game Allardyce had this to say: “There’s a belief in the players and that’s now showing on the pitch and hopefully that gives everyone the confidence to know that we’re all pulling in the right direction” (via safc.com)
Sunderland don’t have weeks like this very often. The signs are positive and fans can feel confident that the team are taking steps in the right direction. The Black Cats will need to keep their feet on the ground as they are far from out of trouble and one or two bad results will see this week forgotten quickly. The signs are good and if Sunderland can get through December relatively unscathed, which won’t be easy, then a season without a great escape may be on the cards.
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