Sunderland already have the upper hand for Newcastle derby, but it could backfire
Sunderland will be delighted after the Premier League announced the officials appointed for Sunday’s showdown against Newcastle.
A run of just one win from the last five, including an FA Cup defeat against League Two minnows Port Vale, threatens to cast a dark cloud over the Black Cats’ campaign.
Regis Le Bris‘ side were condemned to a third consecutive home loss against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday, and sorely lacked cutting edge in front of goal.
But the calendar doesn’t get any easier, with the Tyne-Wear derby next up at St James’ Park.
However, there does appear to be cause for optimism among Sunderland supporters.
Newcastle won’t like official appointment
Referee Anthony Taylor has been appointed for the must-watch fixture on Sunday lunchtime, but the focus will instead be on one of his assistants.
Indeed, Gary Beswick will be running the line, having operated in the same role during Newcastle’s controversial FA Cup defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.
On that occasion, Chris Kavanagh and his deputies made a string of glaring errors, but with no VAR in operation at that stage of the competition, their decisions were allowed to stand.
Tammy Abraham had opened the scoring for Villa, despite tapping home from an offside position. It was relatively clear-cut, but was not spotted by Kavanagh or the two linesmen.
Later, Lucas Digne was fortunate not to be sent off for a thumping challenge on Jacob Murphy, while Kavanagh bizarrely awarded a free-kick after the same full-back handled inside the box.
It would not be a surprise if Newcastle felt they had a point to prove this weekend as a result, so it falls to Le Bris’ players to ensure they stay switched on and ready for a response.
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Wider problems at Sunderland
Speculation around Le Bris’ position has started to circulate in recent weeks, despite Sunderland sitting in relative safety after an outstanding first half to the campaign.
A seemingly never-ending injury list at the Stadium of Light must certainly be taken into consideration, but the salient facts do not make for good reading.
In addition to the loss against Port Vale, the Mackems have lost seven times this year.
Contrastingly, they were made to taste defeat just four times in the top-flight between their curtain raiser against West Ham in August and early January.
Le Bris has not yet figured out how to stop the rot, but he will soon be expected to find solutions. If he fails, then the noise around his future could become deafening.
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