Regis Le Bris must address worrying Sunderland statistic to achieve Premier League survival
Sunderland have had a good start to life back in the Premier League, though one major concern still lingers over the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats have six points from three games, having scored five goals in that time.
Sunderland’s 2-1 win over Brentford last time out saw Regis Le Bris‘ side move up to sixth in the Premier League table, albeit meaningless at this stage in the season.
However, from the opening games, fans have gotten a taste of what to expect throughout the campaign, and one of those will be rather bitter.
Sunderland have the worst xG from open play in Premier League
Stats mean little at the end of the season, and success is entirely determined by how many points you can pick up over 38 games.
However, in the early stages of the campaign, signs start to emerge showcasing what to expect, and for Sunderland, they aren’t overly promising at the moment.
The Black Cats, despite having scored five goals, have only recorded 1.29 xG from open play this season, which is the lowest in the Premier League.
Five lowest xG from open play
- Sunderland – 1.29
- Arsenal – 1.57
- Brentford – 1.67
- Wolves – 1.69
- Leeds – 1.75
- West Ham – 1.84
A lot of Sunderland’s success has come from moments of sheer quality or set-pieces, and while it isn’t something to be concerned about now, the longer it goes on, the more it will be.
Sunderland cannot expect to pick up results consistently without creating chances in open play, putting pressure on the likes of Chemsdine Talbi and Simon Adingra to deliver.
Only five teams have created less xG overall than the Wearsiders.
What else do Sunderland need to improve?
Le Bris’ side also rank second bottom for touches in the opposition penalty area, with Crystal Palace the only side below them for that.
It shows that the main area of improvement is going forward, and the hope will be that the additions of Brian Brobbey and Bertrand Traore can rectify that.
With that said, it won’t be too much of a concern for the Black Cats, as long as results keep going their way, though with a tough away encounter with Palace on the horizon, that could change.
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