Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
The race for survival took another unexpected twist last weekend as Sunderland traveled to Crystal Palace and won 4-0. Not only that they were 4-0 by half time, whether that is a measure of how good Sunderland were or how bad Palace were can be argued but Sunderland will certainly look to bring that momentum in Today’s encounter.
This Afternoon they play host to Southampton looking to get a win that would not only lift them off the bottom of the table but could also lift them out of the bottom three. Thanks to their win and subsequent results going their way they now are just two points from safety.
That win for David Moyes’ men last Saturday would have given them a massive lift, it’s not just the three points but the manner in which they did so. By winning in such emphatic fashion it has created serious doubts for Crystal Palace and dragged another side deep into the mire.
There are now realistically 6 teams who could find themselves in the bottom three come May, 7 if you also account for the current tailspin that Bournemouth are in and Sunderland will look to use that result last Saturday as the platform in which to build the rest of their season on.
It always seems to be a case of one step forward, two steps back for The Black Cats and defeat Today would most definitely take the shine over goings on at Selhurst Park 7 days ago. If that result is to be worthwhile then they need to put Southampton to the sword.
They make the long journey to Sunderland currently sitting 13th in the table, with their yo-yo type season continuing. Dependent on form and results around them they can find themselves anywhere between 8th and 13th place in the Premier League.
So that Yo-Yo is on it’s most downward trajectory right now and although there’s no talk of crisis or being sucked into a relegation battle it’s arguably not quite the position that neither Claude Puel or Southampton fans would have expected to be at this point of the season.
Last Saturday they were beaten by West Ham at St Mary’s as Jose Fonte made a quick return to the South Coast as his new employers beat his old ones by a 3-1 scoreline. That game saw new Southampton striker Manolo Gabbiadini open his account with a well taken strike and the hope will be that there is more of the same in a few hours.
Obviously manager Claude Puel will not want the same defensive lapses at the back but his situation will not be helped by the news that Virgil Van Dijk will be out for the rest of the season and has now more than likely played his last football for the club.
That’s because with Van Dijk being tracked by many of Europe’s top clubs the likelihood of him moving on this Summer seems incredibly high. That will be further down the line but for now manager Puel will once again have a patched up centre back pairing.
And with the form that Jermain Defoe is in he will look to take full advantage. He was constant threat throughout last week’s away win at Palace and the hope for David Moyes is that there is more of the same from their talismanic attacker.
Can Sunderland really use last Saturday as a platform though? I have a feeling that unfortunately for them that they will not. But it’s not all bad news as I have a feeling that they will come away with a point as Southampton continue to blow hot and cold. A draw for me.
