We have to stop overlooking a major concern at Sunderland, it will prove costly
Sunderland will finish 2025 seventh in the Premier League, but there is still an elephant in the room.
Sunderland will not be relegated this season – even the most pessimistic of supporters will agree with that verdict, with the Black Cats just 12 points away from the magic total of 40.
However, the success that the Wearsiders have found on their return to the top flight cannot be used to excuse some of the cracks that have been emerging over the last few weeks.
Sunderland have won just two of their last nine games, and there is a big reason behind that, and more people need to start taking notice of it.
We have very little quality in the forward areas; the numbers show it
Stats are often overlooked in football, and for good reason, too.
At the end of the day, the only numbers that truly matter are the numbers on the scoreboard after 90 minutes of football have been played.
However, to ensure that the Black Cats are on the winning side of that scoreboard, they need to be scoring goals, and recently, they haven’t.
Only five teams have scored fewer goals than Regis Le Bris‘ side this season, four of whom are at the bottom of the Premier League table.
Wilson Isidor is Sunderland’s top scorer with four goals, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who reportedly snubbed a move to the Stadium of Light in the summer, scored his eighth of the season for Leeds on Sunday.
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Sunderland’s creativity issues laid bare by Premier League-low
The term xG is certainly something that has divided supporters over the last few weeks, but the truth is, it does hold value.
It determines how likely a team is to score from the chances they are creating, and in that regard, Sunderland are the worst in the Premier League.
Via FotMob, the Black Cats have a 15.4 xG, which is even 0.6 lower than Wolves, who are yet to win a game this season.
Another area of their game that Sunderland struggles with is getting shots off.
Only Wolves average fewer shots on target per game than Sunderland, which again speaks volumes as they look destined for an early relegation.
For this team to hit its true potential, attacking quality has to be brought in in January, or these concerns will continue to linger throughout the campaign.
Sunderland are having a superb campaign, but there is still a lot of room for improvement, and it’s not wrong to point that out.
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