A promising display from Robin Roefs!
Roefs did exactly what he was brought in to do — be very commanding, quick off his line and excellent on the ball. One would be happy with just these qualities being displayed, but he topped it all off with some excellent shot-stopping.
He also made a fantastic penalty save and there were several instances where he used his unorthodox technique to get across his goal quickly, he’s clearly confident and capable. I’d be very happy with him being our starting keeper for the beginning of the season — and a special mention for getting Granit Xhaka out of jail after a dodgy back pass!
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: Jenson Seelt of Sunderland (L) and Robin Roefs of Sunderland (R) after their victory during the pre-season friendly match between Augsburg and Sunderland at WWK ARENA on August 09, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: Jenson Seelt of Sunderland (L) and Robin Roefs of Sunderland (R) after their victory during the pre-season friendly match between Augsburg and Sunderland at WWK ARENA on August 09, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Jenson Seelt continues to stake a claim
Seelt has also been impressing throughout pre-season and he gave another fine display yesterday.
He’s very composed on the ball and his positioning has been largely excellent, especially considering he’s been playing on his unnatural left side. There are rumours that he may be joining Roefs’ former club, NEC, on loan, but I could see value in keeping him around as a squad player as he certainly has quality.
One area where I’d love to see some development would be his aerial game. He has the height but is occasionally guilty of leaving a ball he could clear or getting a shaky glancing header which invites chaos.
Sunderland v Sevilla - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images
Misfiring Mayenda
As much as we all love him, Mayenda has been struggling in front of goal recently.
What’s made this even more frustrating is that his overall game has been largely great and today may have been the pinnacle of this disparity. He demonstrated some flashes of absolute brilliance throughout the game, linking the play and beating men with ease. Still, a shocker of a penalty and several glaring misses are sure to raise some eyebrows.
However, it is only pre-season and he rightfully has a lot of credit in the bank, but I’d love to see him get back to goalscoring form sooner rather than later; otherwise, I could see Wilson Isidor or Marc Guiu being given a chance.
Sunderland v Sporting CP - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images
A dress rehearsal for our league opener?
Barring any injuries and/or new signings, it looks like this will be the starting eleven for our opening Premier League game against West Ham. The team showed some real quality, with connections between players becoming much more visible than in previous games.
Whilst I’m happy with the team, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed with the exclusion of Enzo Le Fée from the starting eleven, with his inclusion against Rayo Vallecano expected this afternoon.
However, Habib Diarra played the attacking midfield role exceptionally well, stroking home a beautiful strike to seal the win. I do trust the team and the coaching staff, so if the team was selected without Le Fée, I’m sure there was a great deal of thought and justification behind it.
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: Habib Diarrra of Sunderland (surrounded by teammates) celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the pre-season friendly match between Augsburg and Sunderland at WWK ARENA on August 09, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
AUGSBURG, GERMANY - AUGUST 09: Habib Diarrra of Sunderland (surrounded by teammates) celebrates after scoring his team’s first goal during the pre-season friendly match between Augsburg and Sunderland at WWK ARENA on August 09, 2025 in Augsburg, Germany. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Sunderland AFC/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Sunderland AFC via Getty Images