Sunderland fans all say same thing about Granit Xhaka after loss vs Burnley – and it’s not good
Sunderland were dragged back down to earth with a 2-0 defeat away at Burnley on Saturday.
The Black Cats enjoyed a perfect start to life back in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over West Ham last weekend, but they received a harsh reminder of the difficult task that lies ahead of them to stay in the division.
Regis Le Bris’ bold call to start Noah Sadiki ultimately did not pay off, as the Wearsiders fell to defeat the hands of their fellow newly-promoted side.
Good performances were at a premium for the visitors on Saturday afternoon, but fans have turned plenty of their frustrations in the direction of Granit Xhaka.
Granit Xhaka drops ‘shocker’ in Sunderland defeat
Xhaka has been one of Sunderland’s more high-profile signings so far this summer, given his prior experience in the Premier League and in Europe.
The Swiss international notched nearly 300 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions during a spell in North London which spanned seven seasons, and he was a central part of Xabi Alonso’s remarkable Bayer Leverkusen team that won the Bundesliga in 2023/24.
He’s now 32, but after Le Bris’ decision to name him as the new club captain, Xhaka will be expected to control games week in, week out in the middle of the park.
He received plenty of praise for his performance in the opening day win over West Ham, but Black Cats fans have taken a much more frustrated approach to his display this weekend.
Sunderland fans were clear about what they thought of Xhaka’s display on X, with one branding his performance a “shocker.”
Sunderland can’t afford to keep losing ‘six pointers’
Le Bris will know full well that Sunderland need to target particular games to pick up the points that they will need this season, and that will make him all the more annoyed with what he saw on Saturday.
- Sunderland managed just one shot on target in the Burnley defeat
- They created more big chances than their hosts but failed to take advantage
- Le Bris’ men created an xG of just 0.41 from open play
The games against Burnley, Leeds and the Premier League’s bottom-half teams will all be crucial when it comes to deciding the Mackems’ fate, and the fact that it is only the second week of the season certainly can’t be used as any form of excuse.
Le Bris’ men got their just rewards for a sub-par performance, and they really cannot afford too many more akin to that against their likely rivals if they are to beat the drop.
Xhaka will need to set a stronger example out on the pitch if he is to ensure that standards remain high throughout the squad in the rest of the campaign.
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