Sunderland have come on leaps and bounds since Regis Le Bris took over, but things could get even better by the end of the season.
After the disappointment of last season’s 16th-placed finish in the Championship, big improvements were needed at Sunderland.
So far, Regis Le Bris has delivered on that front, with the Black Cats playing nice football, young players coming through the ranks, and most importantly, results going the right way.
Indeed, with such swift success, Sunderland will have to be wary of Premier League clubs coming in for Le Bris, but they could end up in the top flight themselves at this rate.
Jobe Bellingham of Sunderland celebrates after he scores his team''s third goal with a header during the Sky Bet Championship match between Swansea...
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Sunderland on course for massive points haul this season
After 21 games this season, Sunderland have 40 points on the board, which has them in fourth place in the Championship table right now.
To put that into perspective, Sunderland only amassed 56 points last season in total, meaning Le Bris has 25 games to gain 17 points if he simply wants to improve on the 2023/24 campaign. Obviously, aspirations will be far higher than that, though, given the impressive start to this season.
By doing some simple calculations, we know that Sunderland have been picking up 1.9 points per game on average this season. Extrapolating that statistic, we can forecast the Black Cats getting another 47.5 points across the next 25 games if they continue on their current trajectory.
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Let’s call it 47 for argument’s sake, which means by the end of the season, Sunderland could rack up 87 points. That’s more than 30 better than last season’s haul, and would put them firmly in contention for a promotion place come May 2025.
Premier League Trophy before Sprint ahead of the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Qatar at Lusail International Circuit in Lusail, Qatar on November 30, 2024.
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It might just be enough to get Sunderland into the Premier League
Everything appears to be going Sunderland’s way right now. Not only are the Black Cats unbeaten at home all season, but they are also grinding out results under difficult circumstances.
In the last week alone, Sunderland have become one of the most proficient teams in the Championship when it comes to gaining points from a deficit. Naturally, then, there is no reason to suggest Le Bris’ side will slow down anytime soon.
But, would 87 points be enough to get Sunderland promoted to the Premier League? Looking at the last three seasons, it would certainly be enough to grab a play-off spot, but might just leave them short of the automatic promotion places.
Position 2021/22 Points 2022/23 Points 2023/24 Points
1 Fulham 90 Burnley 101 Leicester 97
2 Bournemouth 88 Sheffield United 91 Ipswich 96
3 Huddersfield 82 Luton 80 Leeds 90
4 Nottingham Forest 80 Middlesbrough 75 Southampton 87
5 Sheffield United 75 Coventry 70 West Brom 75
6 Luton 75 Sunderland 69 Norwich 73
Championship top six for the last three seasons
Last season, Leicester City and Ipswich Town ran away with things, but fourth-placed Southampton went up via the play-offs with 87 points. In 2022/23, Luton finished third with 80 points but managed to win the play-offs, too.
Looking back to 2021/22, Bournemouth secured an automatic promotion spot with 88 points, which suggests it’s not impossible to imagine an 87-point campaign being enough for Sunderland. Further back, West Brom even managed to finish second with just 83 points.
However, this season, Leeds United and Sheffield United look to be a cut above the rest, and we could well see the two teams pushing the 100-point mark this term.
Still, even just achieving a play-off spot this year would be a huge feat for Sunderland, and if they can land in that top six, there is no telling what can happen on the way to Wembley.
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