Just how good actually are Sunderland - what the data suggests about their Championship prospects this season

With 23 games to go it's all still to play for, the top six still very much within range even if the relegation zone is still at this stage very much within view in the rear-view mirror.

But what does the underlying data suggest about how good Sunderland really are, and how they'll fare if their performance levels stay the same over the course of the campaign? In short, is their current position underperformance or overperformance? Should we be concerned or enthused?

Here, we take a detailed look under the bonnet...

Sunderland in attack

Going forward, Sunderland's attacking statistics reflect a side that are very competitive at the level but not top-end in terms of their output. There are, of course, some very significant reasons for that.

Sunderland's expected-goals tally for the season so far is 26.53 (1.15 per game) on wyscout's model, which ranks them 16th in the division and therefore just slightly below the league average of 28.9. The other underlying attacking data reflects a similar picture, whereby Mowbray's side are solid if not spectacular in what they are producing from game to game.

They have had 349 touches of the ball in the opposition penalty box, the 13th most in the division and a touch below the league average of 369. It's a similar picture with shots on goal, their average of 9.9 per 90 minutes placing them 12th in the division and in fact a little above the league average of 9.74. They fare less well in getting those shots on target - on that metric they are 16th in the division.

These numbers suggest that the Black Cats should have enough over the course of a season to stay clear of trouble, but probably not enough to trouble the top ten.

The key mitigating factor here is that their talismanic striker Ross Stewart has made only eight appearances, and for eight games they operated without any orthodox striker whatsoever. The impact of that was understandable and clear - Sunderland's XG during those games dropped dramatically to 0.88. Their tally of nine points during that spell was, all things considered, a decent effort.

These numbers probably underline the importance of keeping Stewart for the rest of the season, unless the club hierarchy have a serious ace up their sleeve to replace him. They also offer some cause for optimism, Sunderland's attacking statistics in the opening seven games of the season when Stewart and Simms were both available were very strong.

There are a couple of other interesting statistical quirks worth reflecting on at the midway point. Sunderland have attempted the second most dribbles of any team in the Championship, and their average possession has also soared since Mowbray took charge. This is in part perhaps due to Mowbray's brief to implement a playing style on the squad whereby they control games, but it also reflects the absence of strikers. They have been very reliant on their wingers and attacking midfielders to carry the ball, whereas now they should have at least the option to play with a little more variety.

Sunderland in defence

Sunderland's defensive numbers are, to put it bluntly, lower end when compared with the rest of the Championship. Not relegation levels by any stretch of the imagination, but not imposing either.

This in itself is not particularly surprising, Alex Neil said at the start of the season that he had switched the team's philosophy significantly from coaching them in League One, where had focused on the defensive structure and trusted the individual talent in the team to shine at the other end. He didn't feel that would be enough given the step up in quality, and so placed a big focus on ensuring Sunderland were set up to cause other teams problems. It set up the platform for a good start to the season: Sunderland ceded big chances but opposition teams found it hard to contain Stewart and Simms.

Where possible Mowbray has picked up that baton and tried to attack, though clearly his preferred style is more possession-based.

Sunderland concede 10.81 shots per 90 minutes, which players them 19th in the division (but is also a significant improvement from the first six games before Mowbray took charge). Their expected-goals against tally of 31.8 places them 18th in the Championship rankings, though it should be said it isn't too much worse than the league average of 28.9.

So while there is no major cause for alarm here, it is clear that these aren't the kind of numbers that will realistically sustain a play-off push unless there was a major surge in output at the other end.

So..... What next?

Looking at the performance data, it is unsurprising to see that teams with parachute payments or a more recent Premier League history sit towards the top on most key metrics. Slowly but surely the table is beginning to reflect that, particularly now that West Brom and Middlesbrough have begun to surge under new management.

Sunderland sit in the next category of teams, a large number with very little between them from week to week, and we've seen that borne out in front of us.

With a relatively quiet January transfer window expected, the key factor in how the Black Cats improve as a result of key players that are returning at both ends of the pitch. There is reason for optimism here, with added power, quality and depth in both boxes even accounting for the loss of Elliot Embleton and Danny Batth at Hull City.

As it stands Sunderland are on track for the season of consolidation that they aimed for, the question is whether they can push on any further.*all stats are courtesy of wyscout.com