Youthful Sunderland need time to adapt and transfer reinforcements in summer window

With fifteen minutes gone in this season opener, it was hard not to sit back and just admire the way Sunderland had came out of the starting blocks, writes Sunderland fan Finlay Anderson for The Echo.

Jobe Bellingham moving around the turf like the youthful teen that he is with such ease and quality, Pierre Ekwah running the Corry Evans role in the centre of the park and Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin inverting, joining each and every attack. 

This was the Sunderland that had impressed for so long last season – the one that has the entire fanbase loving Tony Mowbray’s side. Back again. But with that, the errors, the fragilities and the inexperience.

For all Sunderland were just so dominant and attractive within the opening fifteen minutes or so, for parts after that, the cracks in the Mowbray-stamped Sunderland were still apparent. 

Hemir, still in his early days on Wearside, struggled to get into the contest, whilst defensively, at stages, the Black Cats were fragile. 

Combine that with a front line that weren’t at their creative best, and suddenly Mowbray is short of options.

With current injuries, Hemir is the only operating striker, so another centre-forward is a must, and in allowing Isaac Lihadji to depart, a replacement is also needed.

Without new additions, the Black Cats will have to dig deep once again for a 46-game campaign that looks even more gruelling than their last. 

This was just test number one of 46 though, so reasons to press the panic button already are zero, and so hindsight must be taken. 

The club, currently, are continuing with their youthful identity, and so naturally, these youngsters are going to take time to nurture. What Sunday proved is that it is going to take time to get them to adapt.

However, there was enough on display to suggest that this is going to be another season where this fanbase is going to continue to fall in love with this side.