Exclusive:'Fans won't like this' - Gus Poyet delivers Sunderland Premier League finish verdict amid 'normal' dip in form
Ex-Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has been speaking about his former club.
Former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has claimed that the Black Cats would benefit from a mid-table finish this season, as it would provide the club with a solid platform to establish themselves as a Premier League outfit “for many years”.
The Black Cats enjoyed a stunning start to their long-awaited return to the top flight, but have faltered a little in recent weeks, and currently find themselves on a run of two wins and five defeats in their past seven league matches.
Meanwhile, in the FA Cup, Regis Le Bris’ side are through to fifth round for the first time since 2015, and have been presented with a golden opportunity to make the quarter-finals having drawn EFL opposition in the form of either Bristol City or Port Vale.
And speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of Premier League betting odds site BetWright, Poyet argued that a decent cup run, combined with a comfortable finish in the Premier League, would represent an ideal campaign for his former club.
What did Gus Poyet say about Sunderland’s hopes over the remainder of the season?
He explained: “I think it was very important to start the season well, especially after what happened in the last few years with the teams coming up. Everybody always says, ‘Okay, the teams coming up are going to go down’, so it was very, very important to start well. It was incredible, the run of games, and the form.
“And it was like a process of achieving things - unbeaten at home, and now we are unbeaten at home, and another game, unbeaten at home, and then you lose a game. We reach more than 30 points, and then you lose a game. And you’re in the cup - and we know how important the cup is for the fans - they don’t want you to change the team, and you get far, and then it is difficult to maintain the level.
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“So normally, you are going to have a little bit of a dip in form. The matter now is to get back - to get back to the team that was playing most of the time, to get the players that were performing very well to do exactly the same, to get Xhaka back, because he is a very influential player. There are things where they need to go back to basics.
“But I actually think it is better for Sunderland - I know maybe the owners and the fans won’t like this - to have a normal, middle season; finish tenth, keep doing well in the cup, set the basis of a Premier League team for many years. I know to go from the Championship to the Europa League... then you have a difficult time. But so far, so good. Everybody needs to be happy, and this is a normal dip in form that would happen to anybody.”
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