Whilst the race for the title is as widely contested as it has been in years in years, the battle for Premier League survival is just as tight. Currently Sunderland sit equal bottom with West Ham and Cardiff City, but only three points separate the Black Cats from 15th place.
A horrid start to the season on and off the pitch, eyes will be on Sunderland to see whether they can survive. After collecting eight points from a possible 15 in their last 5 games, Sunderland look to be showing they will not go down easy. Here are three things the Black Cats need to do to survive relegation.
Firstly Sunderland are desperate for a goalkeeper with first team experience. Whilst Vito Mannone and Keiren Westwood are okay between the posts, they haven’t been able to fill the void left by Simon Mignolet after his departure from Liverpool.
Their purchase of Oscar Ustari from Almeria may help the Black Cats from losing points in the remainder of the campaign, though, as Ustari brings experience and solidarity, which can bolster Sunderland’s defence helping them to gain more points.
Adam Johnson has been a standout player for Sunderland in their previous five games. The former Manchester City winger has come into form just in time for world cup selection as England manager Roy Hodgson is looking to select his squad for Brazil.
Johnson has shown that he can score goals; he can also assist in creating goal scoring opportunities. In a way Johnson can become the saviour of Sunderland and earn his side more points through his skill and striking ability.
Finally Sunderland needs to keep Emanuele Giaccherini at the club. This will be vital to their league survival and especially their continuance in the Capital One cup. The Italian arrived at the club at the start of the season and showed that he would be a force in the Sunderland midfield.
At the present time Giaccherini is facing a frustrating period with lack of game time under manager Gus Poyet.
Keeping him is a must as his skill and goal scoring ability can aid Sunderland’s survival.
For now Sunderland are battling to escape the relegation zone. All eyes will be on the Black Cats to see whether they can stay up in the premier league.