Sunderland could have ‘lovely problem’ after surprise development – Exclusive
Sunderland are on the verge of securing a return to the Premier League, but that could come with a potential problem.
The Black Cats have not been in the top-flight of English football since the 2016/17 season, spending four seasons in League One since that time.
However, Regis Le Bris‘ side just need to beat Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final at Wembley on Saturday (24 May) to reclaim their place among the elite.
As a result, supporters will be feeling excited, even with a potential problem on the horizon.
Sunderland tipped to be relegated from the Premier League
In the last two seasons, all six promoted teams have come straight back down, and that will be the fear at the Stadium of Light if they win the play-off final.
TV commentator Ian Darke believes that supporters should not get ahead of themselves and should focus on the task at hand rather than promotion to the top-flight.
However, he believes that if Sunderland are promoted, it will be a tough task to keep themselves in the Premier League.
Speaking exclusively to Mackem News, Darke said, “It is a young team, it would be very difficult.
“The first big question is, can they beat Sheffield United in that final at Wembley. I would say if you were a Sunderland supporter, it is a case of let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, it would be a lovely problem to have and to think about.
“They have got a lot of players who have done superbly well this season. I don’t think anyone expected them to be among the real high-flyers in the division, but they have been.
“Whether they can stay up is the same as every team coming up; they will certainly be one of the favourites to go straight back down, which is not to say they will.”
Sunderland will not care about relegation
The Mackems and their supporters will not care about potential Premier League relegation if they win against the Blades.
They will be ecstatic that they are back where they belong, and as Darke states, it would be a lovely problem to have, but it will not be on the minds of fans if their team go up.
Louis-Dreyfus must ensure that Le Bris is backed to give as good a go as possible, as Gus Poyet told Mackem News, but ultimately, just getting back is the main ambition.
| Championship | Played | GD | Points |
| 3. Sheffield United | 46 | +27 | 90 |
| 4. Sunderland | 46 | +14 | 76 |
They will just enjoy the ride, and if they go back down, then so be it; at least they got back to the promised land after years of misery.
All that is left to achieve is one more result, and after Dan Ballard’s late goal against Coventry, they will believe that it can be done.