Sunderland have a made strong start to their Premier League campaign in winning two of their opening three fixtures
Though we are only three games into the campaign, the numbers behind Sunderland's opening Premier League fixtures already reveal how Régis Le Bris plans to keep his team in the top tier.
In previous campaigns, promoted teams have often been criticised for their lack of tactical pragmatism, trying to dominate games in the same manner they did at Championship level. On Wearside, one of the causes for optimism this summer was that the Black Cats had done things very differently last season and that Le Bris had proven himself time and time again to prioritise substance over style.
The first three fixtures, from which Sunderland have taken six points, have strengthened that argument. Though a relatively benign fixture list is clearly a massive factor, they have so far ranked as one of the best defensive teams across just about every metric. According to wyscout’s data, only Newcastle United have faced fewer shots than Sunderland's 25 in the opening month of the season, while they have only conceded 2.54 expected goals across those three games. That is bettered by only three teams: Newcastle, Chelsea and Arsenal. Sunderland are second in the division for defensive duel success, and sit in the top half of aerial duel success.
Interestingly, Sunderland also have one of the lowest PPDA numbers in the division. PPDA measures how aggressively a team presses by calculating how many passes it allows the opponent to have before intervening, whether through a tackle, interception etc. Sunderland's is 15.25, with only four teams in the division pressing with less aggression. This statistic is revealing because Sunderland's wider playing philosophy includes a targeted and aggressive press, but the gap between the Championship and the Premier League means Le Bris is for a period taking a more pragmatic approach.
The stats underline that Sunderland and Le Bris are prioritising a strong defensive structure out of possession, and have recruited players who they feel can cope with the demands that brings in terms of athleticism and physicality. Speed and quality in transition is going to be key as Sunderland take this approach, and their summer recruitment has clearly prioritised midfielders and attackers who thrive on this tactical approach.
Sunderland's fixture list has clearly been a factor in their impressive defensive start: they have played two fixtures at home and are yet to face a team who will play in European competition this season. It's clear that the chances of them maintaining these numbers as they begin to face top-half contenders and the big six are slim to non-existent. What they do nevertheless demonstrate is that Sunderland have a clear plan for survival, and have built a squad capable of executing it. It is going to be a long season for Sunderland with a lot of challenging moments, but the early signs are encouraging.
The area where Sunderland will clearly have to improve
Sunderland's defensive prowess has perhaps unsurprisingly so far come at something of a cost to their attacking output. Sunderland do not rank anywhere near as strongly on key attacking metrics across the opening three games, with only Crystal Palace having fewer touches inside the opposition box than the Black Cats. They have also had the sixth lowest number of shots in the division, and their expected-goals tally of 3.04 is the fifth worst.
Those numbers will come as no great surprise to Le Bris. Speaking after the defeat to Burnley in which Sunderland had struggled when chasing the game in the second half, he described the final third as the final and most difficult layer in building a team. Especially given the significant turnover of players this summer, he had long anticipated that fluidity in the final third would take time to arrive. He has made no apologies for prioritising the cohesion and defensive structure of the team, an approach that has so far been vindicated by the overall return of two wins from three.
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