Sunderland were beaten by Sporting on Monday night but the signs overall were encouraging

Sunderland fans found themselves somewhat unsurprisingly outnumbered by fans of the Portuguese champions on Monday night, but midway through the first half there was only chant you could hear: “We’ve got Le Fee, Enzo Le Fee…”

The Black Cats were trailing at the time, but the very good vibes from the travelling supporters wasn’t just down to the sun and the sagres. Sunderland were playing pretty well and there had been some moments of genuine magic from Le Fee now clearly thriving in his best position.

In pre-season you have to look past the result, whether positive or negative. Here it wasn’t particularly difficult to do that. Sunderland conceded a very sloppy goal, sure, and their finishing was at times frustrating. But this is a team stacked with new players which already seems to be building a good level of understanding and who caused Sporting Lisbon a lot of problems through the first 45 minutes. This was pretty much Sporting’s strongest side and as they play the Super Cup against Benfica at this very ground next week, they are basically fully up to speed and ready to go.

Sunderland were rusty in the final third and they’ll know that this will cost them if it continues into the competitive games, but there are still plenty off of games for those forwards to sharpen up. Even as Sporting dominated possession in the second half, there were positives for Sunderland to take in the way their far younger and more inexperienced side dug in and conceded few real chances of note. In truth it was a game that all but fizzled out by the final fifteen minutes, but Sunderland will head home feeling they’ve made significant progress this week.

What’s interesting about Sunderland right now is that they’re probably further ahead than most fans could possibly have hoped for still just a fortnight or so into pre-season. An almost entirely new midfield has been built and already looks to be thriving, with pace, quality and athleticism. There are academy graduates pushing hard to force their way into that equation in the weeks ahead. There are two exciting new wingers and a top-level left back also in situ, a significant and impressive amount of work done and done early. Even so, there’s no getting past the fact that Sunderland need to do far more if they are to be ready to compete in one of - if not the - best league in the world.

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Sure, the picture will look a little better a few weeks into the season when the likes of Luke O’Nien and Dennis Cirkin return to the role to add much-needed depth to defensive positions. There have also been some positive surprises over the last couple of weeks, players who have shown Regis Le Bris that they are to be taken seriously as he builds his Premier League squad. Niall Huggins was rested as a precaution on Monday night but has looked very sharp so far and Jenson Seelt could make a strong case for being the best player on the pitch in the first half last night. Physically he has all the attributes you need for defending but his composure on the ball has looked top level. In the early games of his Sunderland career he understandably looked a little tentative in possession, now he is driving into space and wrapping passes between the lines.

They could be real bonuses for the head coach but even so, it’s obvious that Sunderland are still five or so players away from having the squad they need. Le Bris told me after the game last night that they wanted to back into the market for a winger after the collapse of the Armand Lauriente deal, with Chemsinde Talbi an exciting prospect but one who will need time to settle and learn. At least one centre half is needed and realistically probably two (depending on Seelt's progress). Sunderland clearly feel they need more competition in goal, having been holding talks around another midfielder and there’s a debate that they could need a third striker. While there have been promising signs at different times from Milan Aleksic and Ahmed Abdullahi, you suspect a full season playing regularly on loan is the next best step.

It’s a daunting task and Sunderland have to get the balance right between holding out for the players who can really make a difference, and not leaving themselves short when the important stuff begins. Even from a brief time spent around the camp this week, it’s noticeable that you are never more than a few metres away from a transfer summit whether organised or impromptu. Sunderland are determined to give this a go.

And my feeling leaving Portugal is that they’re far better placed than I would have expected in the days after that Wembley win, when the buzz and the joy gave way a tiny bit to the trepidation about what might lie ahead. There are good times to be following Sunderland, and sometimes I find myself chuckling that we have players like Le Fee wearing the shirt again. He is different class and the reason you start watching the game in the first place. Sunderland is starting to feel like a top-level club again, something you notice by the way the scale of the operation and the attention to detail has gone through the roof off the pitch.

There is enough to stop you getting carried away, though. Sunderland are heading in the right direction but reality will bit if progress slows. The encouraging thing is that everyone within the camp seems fully aware of that fact.

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