The unexpected breeze of Sunderland

03/11/2025 22:08:00 TrophyTracker

If Sunderland beats Everton in tonight’s delayed round 10 match, they will climb back into the Premier League’s Top 4. Last season, they finished 4th in the Championship.

Sunderland is a fresh breeze in the Premier League

In the past two Premier League seasons, all promoted teams have quickly been relegated back to the Championship. The 2023-24 season saw Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United relegated, while the previous season had Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton suffer the same fate.

This situation raises concerns about the growing gap between the Premier League and the English Championship. It makes life very tough for newly promoted teams, as the 17 Premier League clubs fight desperately to survive as long as possible.

The combined points of last season’s three promoted teams—Leicester, Ipswich, and Southampton—after 38 rounds was only 59. This season might be different because the promoted teams Burnley, Leeds, and especially Sunderland have started very well. Sunderland has collected 17 points from 9 matches, with 5 wins, 2 draws, and 2 losses.

Sunderland’s remarkable feat is partly due to an easier schedule early in the season. Regis Le Bris’s team started with a 3-0 win over West Ham, then faced a struggling Nottingham Forest and a surprisingly weak Aston Villa. After losing 0-2 to Manchester United, Sunderland was expected to decline quickly. However, they stayed strong and even defeated Chelsea 2-1 away in the last round.

Sunderland is flying high in 4th place after 9 rounds, far exceeding initial expectations.

The summer signings Sunderland brought in have created an unexpected strength for the team. Omar Alderete, a talented center-back, was an unbelievable signing for just £10 million from Getafe. When Alderete missed the Chelsea win due to injury, Sunderland had several other defensive options: Dan Ballard, who came through Arsenal’s youth academy; Geertruida, a former pupil of Arne Slot at Feyenoord; and especially Nordi Mukiele, a well-known center-back who joined from PSG for only £12 million.

Having two ball-playing defenders in a back three allows Sunderland to comfortably add personnel to the midfield if necessary. They usually play a 5-4-1 formation but focus their pressing on Noah Sadiki, a midfielder reminiscent of N'Golo Kanté. Among a squad full of young players, Granit Xhaka’s presence from Leverkusen brings steel, sharpness, and leadership on the field.

Last summer, Sunderland spent £160 million to sign 13 new players but also earned £45 million from player sales, mainly from Jobe Bellingham’s move to Dortmund. Sunderland does not focus heavily on physical strength in their style but tries to ensure defensive solidity, relieve pressure, and punish opponents with sharp counterattacks.

Challenges will soon come as Sunderland has 7 players called up for AFCON 2026, running from the end of this year into early next year. Nevertheless, with this impressive start, Sunderland will partly ease relegation pressure and might even become the league’s surprise package!

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