The new season of the „Premier“ league will start on August 13, which means that there are only 17 days left until the start of the English championship. As the competitions approach, Eurofootball.com will provide an overview of all twenty teams in the „Premier“ league.
This time, an overview of the last season in the „Premier“ league will be presented, focusing on the team of „Sunderland“, which had to make forced changes in their coaching staff this summer.
„Sunderland“
History:
The team was founded in 1879 and will compete in the „Premier“ league for the seventeenth season. Their best finish in this league was 7th place.
They will be playing in the „Premier“ league for the tenth consecutive season.
Last year's season:
In the 2015-2016 season of the „Premier“ league, „Sunderland“ finished in seventeenth place, securing their place in the top league. However, for most of the season, they were in a position where the remaining team drops to a lower league, and they managed to stay in the league only after the 34th round. They managed to stay in the „Premier“ league due to a great end to the season, where they only lost once in the last 11 matches.
Changes after last season:
The most important change in the team happened in the coaching position. The team's coach, Sam Allardyce, became the head coach of the England national team, so the „Black Cats“ team had to find a new strategist. After a couple of days, the team announced that the coaching position would be taken over by David Moyes, who has been in the „Premier“ league for 12 years.
„Sunderland“ did not stand out in the transfer market this summer - the team still does not have any new players, and the players who left the club last season and wore the team's jerseys were only Wes Brown, Steven Fletcher, and Danny Graham.
Players to watch:
Jack Rodwell. Recently, Rodwell, once considered one of England's most talented midfielders, has seen a decline in his playing level in recent years. Originally not settling in at „Manchester City“, the 25-year-old midfielder was not a regular starter last season for „Sunderland“ either. Now that the team's coach is David Moyes, under whom he thrived and gained attention while playing for „Everton“, Rodwell should get one last chance to prove that he was once praised for a reason. If the player does not regain his former playing level even under this coach, it is unlikely that he will succeed at all.
Jeremain Lens. In his first season at „Sunderland“, Lens was not allowed to fully show his potential due to injuries. However, the Dutchman scored three goals and made three assists last season, and he showed his best potential in the last season's matches, contributing directly to both goals scored. Acclimatized in England and staying healthy, Lens can be one of the leaders of this team next season.
Jermain Defoe. The 33-year-old striker, written off by many, was one of the most important players last season who helped the team stay in the top league. Without Defoe, who scored 15 goals, „Sunderland“ would hardly have been able to stay in the league, and still without new acquisitions, the experience of the striker will be needed by the team in the upcoming season. No longer as fast as before, the Englishman tried to occupy a better position when attacking, and that is why he was the most offside player caught in the „Premier“ league many times last season.
The team's strengths:
Regaining defense after losing the ball. Although in the last season the defense of „Sunderland“ was not one of the best in the league, they excelled in one aspect - when losing the ball, they quickly returned to their defensive half, not allowing opponents to escape on counterattacks. This was very important for this team, as their defenders are not fast enough to stop the running opponents, and in cases where their peers escaped on quick attacks, a high danger usually arose at the „Sunderland“ goal.
Defense during set pieces. The defense of this team looked best when defending against opponents' set pieces. Experienced central defenders took proper positions and did not allow opponents to feel comfortable in their penalty area when taking corner kicks or free kicks. There were no significant changes in the „Sunderland“ defense line during the offseason, so it will not be easy for opponents to score in set pieces near their goal in the next season.
Successful experience in fighting for survival in the „Premier“ league. Fighting for survival is nothing new for „Sunderland“, who have been handling this task excellently in recent years. They were only five or fewer points away from relegation in four consecutive seasons and six times in the last nine years. However, every time so far they have managed to be among those who survive in the league. It is unlikely that „Sunderland“ will move up to higher positions in the coming season, so this experience of fighting for survival in the league can be useful for the club again.
Interesting facts about „Sunderland“:
„Sunderland“ has triumphed in the highest English league six times in history. However, the last time they celebrated victory was in the 1935-1936 season;
„Sunderland“ has participated in the most important European tournaments only once, when in the 1972-1973 season they played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup tournament, where they were eliminated in the second round;
In the last 20 years, „Sunderland“ has won the Second Division championship four times - no other team has won as many titles in these competitions in recent years;
The last significant title won by this team was in 1973 when they won the FA Cup;
The player with the most appearances for the team is Jimmy Montgomery, who appeared on the field wearing the club's jersey 527 times. The player who scored the most goals was Bobby Gurney, who scored 227 goals.
Tautvydas Sakalauskas
