If Tottenham Hotspur are relegated next month, to the list of internal reasons the club will provide for their demise should be added an unexpected external factor: Sunderland.
One year ago the Wearsiders were beaten at home by Swansea City in the Championship on the way to finishing fourth and entering the play-offs against Coventry City, then Sheffield United. Sunderland won those dramatically, but by the skin of their teeth. No one in the Premier League watching was thinking Sunderland would be a serious presence in the division this season.
The general feeling was Sunderland would follow the recent pattern of clubs promoted via the play-offs going straight back down. Remember that angst about the status of newly-promoted clubs and the debate surrounding a lack of sporting competitiveness? The existing Premier League clubs felt locked in, with Spurs’ ability to coast through the end of the their domestic season as they focused on the Europa League an example of imbalance. Spurs had already won a European trophy as Sunderland prepared for the play-off final.
Southampton’s dismal experience last season was fresh in the mind. Thus, even when Sunderland’s players and staff celebrated downstairs at Wembley in May in their ‘We Are Back’ T-shirts, they were being asked sceptically about being ‘Premier League-ready’.
If that sounded harsh, more pessimism was encountered when majority shareholder Kyril Louis-Dreyfus turned up for the club’s first Premier League meeting the following month. As he told The Athletic in December: “At the start of the season everyone thought we were going to finish last. I went to the Premier League meeting in June and that was the consensus.”
But here they are, two points off Chelsea in sixth, having just beaten two teams, in Newcastle United and Tottenham, who were playing knockout Champions League football a few weeks ago.
Sunderland have won 12 and drawn 10 of 32 league games. Their three-game losing streak in February is the only time they have suffered consecutive defeats. Only Fulham have done the double over them (though Manchester United still can do that when they visit the Stadium of Light). There have been stirring comebacks against Bournemouth and Arsenal. Unlike Spurs, for example, Sunderland are more than the sum of their parts. Unlike Spurs yesterday, teamwork, attitude and commitment have been conspicuous.
Nordi Mukiele celebrates scoring the only goal of the game against Spurs (Andy Buchanan/Images)
These consecutive victories over Newcastle and Tottenham, however, may still not alter the fact Regis Le Bris’ rising team are flying under the radar. At Sunderland’s training ground last Friday, Le Bris was asked whether a comparative lack of national appreciation for this season bothered him at all. Sunderland’s win at Newcastle after all had been warped into a referendum on Eddie Howe and his situation at St James’ Park; now Sunderland were about to face Tottenham and all the noise was about their new coach Roberto De Zerbi and the trials of Spurs.
Le Bris, not a man for verbal jousting, replied: “I think we have our own journey, so the noise can be the noise, no problem.
All season Le Bris’ mantra had been “40 points”. Sunderland reached the target with a 1-0 win at Leeds United at the beginning of March. Leeds, too, can change perceptions of promoted clubs. They did finish 24 points above Sunderland in last season’s Championship, though, and were in the Premier League three seasons ago.
After Elland Road, Le Bris called a meeting with his squad to discuss what comes next.
“They expected something new,” he said, “because this is their future and they always need something to achieve. It was important to design the right objective, but it’s not always easy to say ‘now we’ve achieved 40 points, let’s go for 60.’ You never know, you lose your first three games and that target is over.
“It’s more about the vision and this is connected with daily standards. You can achieve a big target if you’re working hard every day. We have to enjoy what we are doing, it’s not always easy when you lose, it’s different. But when you win, you can grow.”
Sunderland fans have thoroughly enjoyed their Premier League return (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Having a growth mindset was a Tony Mowbray phrase while at the club; Le Bris has talked more often about Sunderland’s “underdog mindset”.
Both will continue in parallel over the next six games, which will determine whether Sunderland play European football for the first time since 1973.
Le Bris dealt with that question yesterday with the dexterity of Enzo Le Fee — “for me it’s not on my mind at the minute because we are 10th.
“The main objective was to stay in the league… the ambition is to be a top-10 club.”
A European place would be remarkable, though, given there were 14 new signings on top of that late May play-off. It is why, even when the likes of Granit Xhaka and Habib Diarra were signed, there was a belief Sunderland would stumble, then struggle.
The euphoric opening day win at home against ‘Graham Potter’s West Ham’ set a tone, but when players left for AFCON in December it was thought this was the moment of subsidence. Then, without the likes of Noah Sadiki, Sunderland beat Newcastle, drew at Brighton & Hove Albion and at home against Manchester City.
Nordi Mukiele’s deflected winner against Spurs means Le Bris’ side have taken 29 points at home. Last season Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Southampton accumulated 28 points between them in home games.
It is not all perfect at the club, there has been a disconcerting level of churn off the field as well as on it, but had Sunderland been the weakest link as anticipated, Tottenham would be fourth-bottom and most definitely not as concerned about relegation as their new coach De Zerbi was here.
At the Stadium of Light Sunderland have beaten West Ham, Wolves, Burnley and Spurs, with Forest next to come here. They have shaken complacency, bucked a worrisome trend and done the Premier League a sporting favour. Sunderland have made a bit of noise.