Sunderland: European ambitions crushed within 180 minutes
Sunderland’s chances of playing European football next season have been dented by two defeats in a row.
The Black Cats have had an excellent season, and for every negative thing to point out, there are at least 10 positive things to highlight.
But right now, it certainly doesn’t feel like that, with Sunderland having conceded nine goals in their last 180 minutes of football, with zero points added to their tally.
With four games left to play, Regis Le Bris’ side still sit just four points from the top six, and just one win away from being in a potential European spot come the end of the season.
However, the last two games have shown why that may be just too soon.
Sunderland’s defensive frailties on show
If you concede nine goals in two games of football, and eight of them within 130 minutes, something is going very, very wrong.
And it’s been a theme of Sunderland’s game since the start of the year.
Prior to Luciano Vulcano’s exit, who was the primary defensive coach, the Wearsiders had the best third-best defensive record in the league.
Since his exit in January, they have had the third-worst.
That speaks volumes about the decline at the back, which has so often been the main focus of a Le Bris team, and has been this season.
But that’s not the only thing that makes Sunderland one of the weaker competitors for a spot in Europe next season, with several big moments from the last two games.
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Big moments change games, and Sunderland haven’t taken them
At 3-3 at Villa Park, Sunderland fans were delirious, and that excitement only grew when Habib Diarra found himself through on goal to seal one of the most impressive comebacks in Premier League history.
His effort was weak, and Villa went down the other end to win the game 30 seconds later.
Against Forest, Chris Rigg had a golden chance to give the Black Cats a 1-0 lead, but failed to take it, not long before they took the lead.
That was then followed by an uncharacteristic howler by Robin Roefs, who gifted the visitors a second goal in the game, which was followed by a total collapse.
The best teams take advantage of those big moments, and it is something that Sunderland have so often failed to do.
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