Sunderland will hope to improve their attacking threat to build on a solid return to the Premier League.
There can be no doubt the first month of Sunderland’s return to the Premier League has been overwhelmingly positive.
The Stadium of Light was rocking on the opening day of the season as the Black Cats marked their return to the elite with a three-goal win against West Ham United as Eliezer Mayenda, Dan Ballard and Wilson Isidor all found the net to earn maximum reward for a fine display on home soil. There was rare disappointment when Regis Le Bris’ side suffered a 2-0 defeat at former Championship rivals Burnley in their first away game of the league season but they bounced back in some style on their return to Wearside.
Despite falling behind to an Igor Thiago goal with just under 15 minutes remaining, Sunderland roared back into the game to see off Brentford with an Enzo Le Fee penalty and a last-gasp strike from Isidor. The first international break of the campaign could well have hampered the positive momentum but Saturday’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace has left the club in seventh place as they now turn their focus towards next Sunday’s home clash with an Aston Villa side that are yet to claim a league win this season.
Although the mood is understandably positive, there is still some room for improvement from the Black Cats and that could come in attacking areas after they failed to score in two of their four games during the first month of the season. But how does Sunderland’s attacking threat compare to their rivals across the Premier League? We take at look at the Black Cats’ xG (expected goals) and see how it ranks alongside the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal during the opening month of the campaign.
How does Sunderland’s xG compare to their Premier League rivals?
placeholder image
Getty Images
Manchester United - 1.83 Chelsea - 1.77 Liverpool - 1.72 AFC Bournemouth - 1.54 Arsenal - 1.49 Newcastle United - 1.46 Manchester City - 1.44 Tottenham Hotspur - 1.42 West Ham United - 1.37 Everton - 1.29 Brighton and Hove Albion - 1.26 Aston Villa - 1.21 Crystal Palace - 1.18 Nottingham Forest - 1.15 Fulham - 1.13 Leeds United - 1.12 Sunderland 1.06 Wolverhampton Wanderers - 1.01 Brentford - 0.98 Burnley - 0.85
Continue Reading