The impact of the stunning 3-0 win at Chelsea will be felt for some time. There is no doubt that it will increase the expectations of Sunderland fans, but will also mean an overdue improvement in the away record of the Black Cats, which has been nothing to write home about under either Roy Keane or Steve Bruce, until now. The tactics on Sunday were well thought out and very well-executed, and the confidence the team has gained from this dismantling of the Blues will be seen in future games.
I was impressed by the refreshing honesty from Ancellotti, who said Chelsea deserved to lose. When did you last hear Arsene Wenger or Alex Ferguson say that? A Soccernet headline claimed that Sunderland produced one of the finest away performances in the history of the Premier League to hammer Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. Nedum Onuoha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck scored - and it could have been more. Was it one of the finest?
One gripe from a fan' spoint of view – while most media sources praised Sunderland’s efforts in the game, Steve Claridge on BBC Radio 5 live’s Monday night club blamed the 3-0 setback almost entirely on Chelsea’s line-up, set-up and performance, to an extent that the studio host was alarmed at how Cats’ fans would react. Get a grip, Steve - 3-0 is a score nobody can argue against! Only one goal was self-inflicted.
To be fair, In my November 10 blog at http://blogs.soccernet.com/sunderland/archives/2010/10/international_break.php, I did ring some alarm bills about the Blues, suggesting that the Chelsea squad, dare I say it, despite their obvious quality, looks a bit thin, especially at the back, ahead of the inevitably difficult winter pitch conditions. They had a preseason midfield clear-out anyway involving Ballack and Cole; now Benayoun is sidelined for a long period, and Lampard and Alex are on the injury list, with the squad not getting any younger. The same applies to John Terry who has just pulled out of Capello’s squad with a back injury.
Chelsea up to Sunday were on a great home run, top of the table and it took something special from Sunderland to dominate and win the game so decisively. The result opens up the Championship race, but it was just reward for the way The Lads had been steadily improving in games against the top teams this season. .
On Monday, Sunderland face Everton, who have been the benchmark for a well-run and managed team knocking on the door of the top 6. The fans will expect a victory, but the interesting poser for Steve Bruce is how do we accommodate Darren Bent into the line-up if he is fit again? Can a Bent/Gyan partnership emulate the Quinn/Phillips dual strike force of a decade ago? Exciting times for Sunderland fans!
©Lars J.S. Knutsen
Comments
Posted by Andy on 11/20/2010
I agree with you about Claridge, he gave us no credit at all and was just banging on about Chelsea and how they would have played us off the park if everyone was fit.
Posted by Ian_Safc on 11/22/2010
Can a Bent/Gyan partnership emulate the Quinn/Phillips dual strike force of a decade ago?
I think the quality of the PL has improved and every game is tight. There are no teams in the PL we could play that are automatic wins.
However, I think Gyan and Bent are clinical finishers as Kevin Phillips sort-of was. Give them a chance and they'll take it. I'd love to see DB and AG gel.
I think we have one weak point: we tend to relax and switch off against so-called lesser teams and come unstuck especially away from home. This has been our undoing.
If we can have the same mindset we have against the top teams we can get a top 7 finish I reckon.
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Lars Knutsen was born in Sunderland of Norwegian parents across the Wear from the SSOL back when shipbuilding not car manufacture was the city’s main industry. His first game was in 1968 and he has followed the Black Cats since then, with great memories of the 1973 FA Cup. He hopes the “yo-yo” days are over and defines supporting a team by whether the result affects your mood (but maybe not in the way portrayed in the book “Fever Pitch”!) so has been cheerful recently. He endured school in Newc**tle, has a Ph.D. in Chemistry, a Professorship at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, and works in the Pharma industry as a consultant Medicinal Chemist.
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