Sunderland’s impressive start to the season has helped another of their key men nab a Premier League player of the month nomination, but should they have had two players recognised?
With five wins from their opening nine games, Sunderland are currently sat in fourth place in the Premier League table.
Pre-season predictions tipped Sunderland for relegation, but they’ve defied the odds thus far. Suffice it to say, Regis Le Bris has earned plaudits for the way he has set his team up, and a number of players have stood out already.
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Now, Sunderland could achieve their best-ever Premier League finish if they keep up this momentum. But, thinking more short-term, the Black Cats fanbase has a nice problem to deal with, in debating which of their players is most deserving of recognition over the past month.
Granit Xhaka in action for Sunderland during a friendly against Real Betis
Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images
Why was Granit Xhaka overlooked by Premier League?
Last weekend, it was Lutsharel Geertruida who was praised for his role in the win over Chelsea, while goals from Chemsdine Talbi and Wilson Isidor made the difference.
That victory proved Sunderland can match the best teams in the league. However, looking at the month as a whole, it’s defender Nordi Mukiele who has been picked out as one of the star performers in the division.
He’s nominated for October’s Player of the Month award alongside Matty Cash, Erling Haaland, Bruno Guimaraes, Bryan Mbeumo, Jurrien Timber, Eli Kroupi, and Igor Thiago.
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Poll: Who should be October’s player of the month?
Surely, there has been some mistake, though. More specifically, why has Granit Xhaka been overlooked despite being just as impressive over the last month, if not more so, than some of the players on that list?
Mukiele may have bagged a goal in the win over Wolves, but he was also pretty poor in the defeat to Manchester United. Meanwhile, Xhaka has been incredibly consistent and continues to be the beating heart of this exciting Sunderland team.
Xhaka loves Mukiele’s mentality and would no doubt be delighted that his colleague has earned the nomination this month. Indeed, Xhaka was nominated last month, so it’s not like he’s being regularly overlooked.
But, given Sunderland have continued to impress, it’s somewhat surprising that they weren’t given two nominations this month again.
Granit Xhaka during Chelsea v Sunderland - Premier League
Photo by Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Sunderland success will be pinned on Granit Xhaka this season
Sunderland’s unbelievable start to the season is a team effort, obviously. In fact, Xhaka has said before that togetherness is key for the Black Cats.
But, within that team unit, it’s the leadership and experience of Xhaka that will be absolutely pivotal to how far this squad can go this season.
We expect Sunderland to avoid relegation this season, and perhaps even surprise everyone with a top-half finish.
If that happens, we’ve no doubt Xhaka’s form will be the main reason. There’s no doubt already that Xhaka is Sunderland’s best summer signing, and he’s only just getting started.