Exclusive:Sky Sports pundit outlines key to Sunderland rediscovering Premier League form
Sunderland have endured a relatively slow start to the new season.
Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith has suggested that Sunderland need to find a way of retaining the “zest” that served them so well last season if they are to climb the Premier League table over the coming weeks.
Six games into the new campaign, and the Black Cats find themselves 17th in the top flight having taken just four points so far. A win against Fulham and a draw with Brentford have accompanied defeats at the hands of Ipswich Town, Arsenal, Manchester City, and Brighton and Hove Albion.
But in Smith’s opinion, Sunderland’s second term at the highest level was always likely to be difficult - especially given their newfound status as a Europa League side. Speaking exclusively to The Echo, courtesy of BestBettingSites, he said: “I think it was always going to be a tough season with Europe involved.
“A brilliant first season in the Premier League, but people know what to expect now. And the manager has got to be quite cute with his rotation. So yeah, they're down there in the lower echelons of the table. These European commitments are not easy. It's just trying to manage that, and retain that zest that they had last season in the league.”
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Elsewhere, Smith has argued that Sunderland cannot become overly dependent on star striker Brian Brobbey. The Dutchman has started the campaign in impressive fashion, but missed out on last weekend’s 2-0 loss against Brighton due to a hamstring injury sustained while away on international duty with the Netherlands.
The Black Cats looked notably dulled in his absence, but Smith has claimed that other members of Regis Le Bris’ attacking cohort must step up in front of goal if and when Brobbey is unavailable. The pundit said: “This is where the squad comes in. They've got [Wilson] Isidor; he's got to step up... And [Enzo] Le Fée in that number 10 slot. Without Brobbey, everyone else has got to try and provide the goals. So that's just part and parcel of life in football. You can't be dependent on one player.”
Brobbey was named on the bench for Thursday’s Europa League win over Torreense, and could be in contention to feature on Sunday, against Bournemouth.