Sunderland sit top of the Championship as the November international break draws near, but two recent league draws have caused slight concern for the Black Cats.
Goalkeeper Simon Moore was crucial in helping Sunderland draw with Preston North End, a game which followed on from the goalless stalemate with QPR.
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The two draws have contributed to Sunderland earning the best away record in the Championship, but dropping points against two sides towards the bottom of the table was disappointing nonetheless.
One positive about the Championship season is that games come thick and fast. Regis Le Bris’ side will host Coventry City at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, where a win would secure top spot heading into the international break.
Le Bris and Sunderland fans will be praying that the back-to-back draws were a mere blip, but their anxiety may be misplaced according to one pundit.
Carlton Palmer says Sunderland will be confident against Coventry
Sunderland have caught the eyes of the football world this season with their strong start, so much so that pundit Carlton Palmer believes they should not read too much into the two recent draws.
Speaking to Football League World, Palmer said: “Sunderland sit top of the Championship, they’re having a fantastic season, people are making a muchness of the fact they’ve drawn their last two games.
“They had to travel to London to play QPR on 2 November, got a draw, and then they’ve had to play on 6 November against Preston. Both away from home, I think they’re two fantastic points away from home.”
Palmer is clearly impressed with the Sunderland squad and expects them to push on to claim an all-important victory against Coventry.
He said: “All they can do is keep doing what they’re doing, picking up the results of theirs. I think this [Coventry] is one where he’ll [Le Bris] be saying to his players: ‘Listen, […] let’s get a win at home, recharge our batteries, and we will go into the international break top of the league’.”
Palmer’s dismissal of any concern about the Preston and QPR draws may not be a feeling shared among Black Cats fans, who may be justified when analysing the stats from the two matches.
The key stats behind Sunderland’s recent draws are concerning
With QPR in the relegation zone, Sunderland would’ve expected to dominate the proceedings at Loftus Road. However, QPR had more possession and shots, creating more big chances than their table-topping visitors.
They also dominated in the individual duels, winning 59%. This all contributed to QPR earning 1.4 expected goals in the game, suggesting that Sunderland may have gotten lucky with the goalless draw.
A similar story was then seen against Preston on Tuesday, with the hosts claiming 60% of the ball, alongside an xG of 1.6 to Sunderland’s 0.73.
It has been a rare sight this season to see Sunderland being dominated in the possession stats, but these last two matches highlight the danger of giving any side in the Championship sustained control of the ball.
Being back at the Stadium of Light makes Sunderland favourites against a Coventry side who have just sacked Mark Robins, but the trend of the previous two draws should be something that the Sunderland coaching staff are monitoring closely.