Confirmed - Kevin Ball returns to Sunderland under Kyril Louis-Dreyfus
Paul Merson has warned Arsenal and Everton that Sunderland pose a major threat over the coming weeks
Paul Merson has fired a warning to both Arsenal and Everton ahead of their upcoming games against Sunderland – insisting the Black Cats will “cause problems” for any Premier League side following their stunning win over Chelsea.
Sunderland hosts Everton on Monday night before welcoming Arsenal to the Stadium of Light next Saturday in back-to-back Premier League fixtures. The Black Cats have won 17 points from their opening nine games after beating Chelsea away from home at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Writing in his Sky Sports column, the former Arsenal midfielder said: “When I saw Arsenal’s fixtures recently, I thought they had such an easy run of games. But, in a couple of weeks, Sunderland are going to give them such a hard game at the Stadium of Light. Sunderland will cause Arsenal problems.
“They are an athletic team with pace. They are well-drilled and organised, and they counter with pace. They also make the right decisions on the counter, picking the right pass. They didn’t waste the ball when they had it. I was so impressed with them at Stamford Bridge, and you have to say they are safe. They were superb.”
Merson also heaped praise on Sunderland’s transfer business, suggesting those behind the club’s recruitment strategy deserve major recognition for their work after a stunning summer window saw Kristjaan Speakman and Florent Ghisolfi reshape the Black Cats’ squad for the Premier League.
“Whoever is in charge of Sunderland’s recruitment needs a knighthood,” Merson added. “Xhaka has been some buy, but it is not just him. Every player that has come in has been exceptional. I don’t want to put any unnecessary pressure on them, but they don’t have to worry about relegation now after this start. They need another four or five wins in 29 football matches and I expect them to do that easy.”
What did Enzo Maresca say after the game against Sunderland?
Enzo Maresca conceded that Chelsea were second best after their 2–1 defeat to Sunderland at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea made a bright start and went ahead early through Alejandro Garnacho, but Wilson Isidor levelled for the visitors before half-time.
Despite dominating possession after the break, the Blues struggled to break down Sunderland’s organised defence and were punished in stoppage time when Chemsdine Talbi struck the winner from Brian Brobbey’s clever assist. Maresca admitted his side’s defending for the decisive goal was poor and accepted that Chelsea had fallen short over the course of the match. "I think we were in general we were not good enough," Maresca said.
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"When you are not good enough in the Premier League, you know the consequences. I've said already, when you are not able to win, it is important that you do not lose. The second goal is not a transition; it's a long ball in behind where we have 2-v-1. We do not defend properly. The first goal comes from a throw-in in but it is difficult; they bring six or seven inside your six-yard box. Overall, we were not good enough.
"It can be an easy situation because it is 2-v-1 and the striker is facing his own goal, probably we are trying to manage the situation because it is 92,93 minutes, because we have to do better. We struggled to create chances, a lack of creativity. We didn't create a lot, we lost some duels and second balls at 1-0 and against this team, we need to do better. When we arrive in certain areas of the pitch, we cross because we expect to have four or five players inside the box, but today, when we cross, probably the quality of the cross was not the best one.”
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