Reflections on Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Chris Sutton has been speaking about Sunderland’s stellar start to the season.
Chris Sutton has poured cold water on the prospect of Sunderland mounting an improbable title charge this season following their 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Saturday evening.
The Black Cats pegged back the Premier League leaders with a stoppage time equaliser from Brian Brobbey, and as such, ended the weekend fourth in the table, seven points off the summit.
But while Sutton has been soundly impressed by the manner in which Sunderland have returned to the top flight in recent weeks, the pundit has also been quick to play down the likelihood of them doing the unthinkable over the remainder of the campaign.
What has Chris Sutton said about Sunderland’s prospects this season?
In an appearance on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sutton spoke to a Sunderland fan, Paul, who pointed out certain parallels between the Black Cats and Leicester City’s early form during their own miraculous run to the title in 2016.
The listener said: “I got told at the match today that apparently we've got similar amounts of points to Leicester when they did it.”
Sutton interjected: “But you're not, you're not, you're not, come on, Paul - you're not going there, are you?”, to which Paul responded: “Why not? Certainly Champions League...”
The pundit then hit back: “Come on, you're getting a little bit ahead of yourself, Paul. I love dreaming... I'm a dreamer myself, but I mean, Sunderland... Sunderland to win the Premier League, Paul? I mean, come on. They've got absolutely no chance of winning the Premier League.
“As much as I admire what Regis Le Bris is doing there, the recruitment... I mean, fans can dream, but I mean, it's, do you think you're playing better football than Newcastle at this moment in time? Do you think Newcastle will reel you in eventually?”
Paul then had the final word, quipping: “I think there's 19 clubs playing better football than Newcastle right now. And I can't wait to play them on Derby Day and pick up three points.”
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What did Regis Le Bris say about Sunderland’s draw with Arsenal?
Speaking after the final whistle at the Stadium of Light, Le Bris said: “It shows that the team has a really strong character and the face that we can change the dynamic of the game with just one decision, a good connection with our crowd and it happened once again.
“It's still tough against a team like Arsenal, one of the best teams in Europe, so you have to do a masterclass, otherwise it's impossible to win something. I think the first half was well balanced, we tried to defend high when possible, organised a deep block, really compact, narrow, aggressive and we had the opportunity to manage the ball sometimes. We even felt that it was possible to disturb them in that part. The second half was a bit tougher because you defend for long periods and then you have to stay composed with the ball and we still have a really young squad, really young players without great experience in the Premier League, so it's a good lesson.”
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