On Tuesday night, Sunderland travelled to Ipswich Town in League One. They came away with three points following a 1-0 win. The victory extended Sunderland’s impressive form away from home. Form which has seen the Black Cats remain undefeated on their travels so far this season as they chase promotion.
Lee Johnson’s men have not been convincing this season; however, as they battle to regain their place in the Championship, performances should not be of concern. Three points are the all-important ingredient in Sunderland’s promotion chase.
In Sunderland’s Promotion Chase, Performances Are Not Important
Black Cats Struggling to Break Down Opponents
Sunderland have found it tough against the opposition on many occasions since being relegated to League One. Teams see Sunderland as a scalp, their cup final, especially if the game is played at the Stadium of Light. Players will up their game when facing the red and whites, making it as difficult as possible for the Black Cats to have it their own way.
Winning Ugly Important in Sunderland’s Promotion Chase
This can be frustrating for players, staff and fans alike. However, as Sunderland try once again to secure a way out of League One, performances are not the priority, wins are. Many fans, along with the players and staff would ideally love to see wins go hand in hand with good performances; however, if Lee Johnson gets the team promoted playing ugly then there should be few complaints.
Lee Johnson wants his team to play attacking, entertaining football; however, since his arrival, he has seen his team suffer several postponements due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The training ground was shut when many first-team players were forced to isolate in December.
Given time, Johnson will hopefully get his team playing more attractive football on their way to winning games. Until then, should the three points come via an ugly win, then so be it.
Lee Johnson: ‘You Have to Win Games’
Speaking after the win at Ipswich, Lee Johnson, although not entirely satisfied with performances, was happy with another win: “You have to remember how many ups and downs we have had with Covid and all that, so what we have to do now is build something.
“You have to win games. A lot of the things that we do well are things that people won’t think about because it is the detail rather than anything.
“It’s the times we slide the ball up the channel, the small movements, we’re definitely not at full slickness at the moment but in this league, you don’t get it all your own way. We have to be able to win games of football a number of ways and in the last couple we showed that we can dog it, as well as play when we need to.”
Following three wins in their last four games, Sunderland are now just outside of the play-off places. They are one point behind Charlton Athletic in sixth place and nine behind the current league leaders Lincoln City. With striker Charlie Wyke in impressive form in front of goal and the hope of one or two new players arriving, Sunderland can force their way into the automatic promotion places.
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