Once again Sunderland face a battle to stay in the top flight of English football. With the cash rewards for staying up greater than ever the Black Cats and their fans will be hoping they can once again escape the dreaded drop. Here are four ways to Sunderland survive this season.
Start Fabio Borini
Borini signed late last summer and, after an excellent season on loan during 2013-14, was seen as an excellent signing. His permanent career on Wearside hasn’t been the best so far and under Sam Allardyce he has been in and out of the side. However, he does remain a firm fan favourite due to his goal threat from wide areas (his goal vs Crystal Palace was one of the best) and his high work rate offers valuable protection to the full-back, usually the defensively naive Patrick Van Aanholt.
Borini was part of the side which got to the Capital One Cup Final in 2014 and produced one the Premier League’s greatest escapes in the same season, making him experienced in situations like the one in which the team currently are. The Italian knows where the goal is, will work hard for the team, and still has something to prove to the manager and fans. He should be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Jordan Pickford should replace Vito Mannone
After an excellent spell on loan at Preston North End and becoming the England Under-21 number one, Allardyce recalled Pickford to battle it out with Vito Mannone for Sunderland’s number one position after Costel Pantilimon was sold to Watford.
Pickford started against Arsenal at The Emirates in the FA Cup and at Tottenham in the Premier League, and even though he conceded seven goals he produced two outstanding displays. If not for him the team could have been defeated by a much larger margin on each occasion. An excellent shot stopper with equally excellent positional sense, he also possesses very good distribution skills, an example of this was when he gained an assist for the England U21 side late last year.
Dropping Vito Mannone, who is currently the number one, would be seen as harsh to many, but with Sunderland still conceding far too many goals in their battle for survival, could a change in goal be beneficial even if it seems ruthless?
There’s no doubt that Mannone can produce top saves but the jury is still out on his ability with the ball at his feet, his distribution and his ability to deal with crosses. He can be an excellent keeper but he can cause panic amongst team-mates and at this stage the side needs all the confidence it can get. The next match is against Southampton, who scored eight against the Black Cats last season with Mannone in goal, and a change between the sticks could give the team the kick it needs.
Play to Jermain Defoe’s strengths
Sunderland have what others around them at the bottom of the table do not have—a natural, proven Premier League goalscorer, and if they play to his strengths, he has the ability to fire the team to safety. Defoe has been played as a lone striker for much of his time at the club and even though this is not his best role, he has performed in it well and is currently the third highest English goalscorer this season in the Premier League, ahead of the likes of England captain Wayne Rooney.
At times has had to work very hard for these goals, feeding off scraps or creating the chances himself. Too many times Sunderland have been guilty of sending long high balls up field for him to battle alone, often against two tall central defenders. Given Defoe’s height, this tactic will almost never work. He is quick and an old-fashioned fox-in-the-box type player. Give him balls he can run onto or get the ball into dangerous areas of the box and he will produce goals or at the very least cause teams problems and chances for others.
Defoe has been one of the country’s top strikers for many years and even though he is in his thirties, few would argue that he should still be in contention for a place in the England side for Euro 2016 this summer. If the Black Cats can get him into the right positions against the likes of Newcastle and Norwich, whom they still have to play, then Defoe has the ability to punish them and give Sunderland a real chance of avoiding relegation yet again.
Move Wahbi Khazri into a central role
Since his arrival from Bordeaux in January, attacking midfielder Khazri has mainly been played out wide. However, with Fabio Borini now staking a claim for a starting role and Sam Allardyce’s liking of the other new boy Dame N’Doye, this is a good opportunity for Khazri to be moved inside. He could provide the ideal link to the striker and offer him some much-needed quality behind him.
The Tunisian has an eye for goal and can also create, something Sunderland need to do more of if they fail to keep clean sheets. During his short time on Wearside, Khazri has shown he has the skill (except for the failed rabona cross at West Ham) and that he is a versatile asset to the side. He is certainly a better option in the attacking role than the likes of Jack Rodwell.
Since returning to the Premier League under Roy Keane in 2007, Sunderland have made three great escapes and have had several near misses. In the current squad there are many players who were a part of the “great escape” campaigns. Some of the players that were involved in the battles over the years were part of the problem, but they still have the experience to be called upon. Their knowledge of the battle may prove valuable.
