Sunderland’s chances of promotion could be hindered by one key disadvantage.
The Black Cats’ start to the 2024/25 Championship campaign has been incredible, barring the three recent successive draws for Regis Le Bris’ side.
There have been several top performers for Sunderland up until this point of the season, and there will have been very few fans who would have expected that they would be promotion contenders this season.
Currently sitting at the summit of the Championship league table level on points with Sheffield United, Sunderland have certainly shown that they have the side to compete at the very top level.
However, there could be a key issue that was arguably Sunderland’s achilles heel in the 2023/24 season that may potentially spring up for Le Bris’ side, and there has already been signs of such disruption according to one EFL pundit.
Sunderland promotion chances rated as key issue looms for Regis Le Bris’ side
The Black Cats will be hoping to continue their fine run to the season, however their fortunes could potentially drop at some point this campaign.
Per The Second Tier Podcast on YouTube, EFL pundit Justin Peach has rated the chances of promotion, where he said: “They deserve to be top of the table because they’ve been incredibly consistent and a very difficult team to beat, but I think we have seen some naivety drop into the performances at times.
“You go back to that Plymouth second half performance before the first international break, and obviously the Coventry one as well.
“There is some naivety, and it is a reminder that this team is very young.
“I do see them being a title contender as the season goes on. It’s just whether or not Leeds and Sheffield United are better than them and that might prevail over the course of the season, but this has been an incredible start.”
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Sunderland must proactively avoid repeat of 2023/24 season
Not in the too distant past, Sunderland were masters of their own downfall in the 2023/24 Championship campaign following the dismissal of Tony Mowbray, as Michael Beale and Mike Dodds cumulatively couldn’t rally the troops throughout the second half of the season, leading the the Weaside-based team finishing 16th in the table.
Whilst the uncalled for change in management was partly to blame for this, it was clear that ‘naivety’ was instilled in the ranks due to it being such a young squad, and whilst there are more leaders dotted around now, including Chris Mepham and Alan Browne, there is still a heavy imbalance towards younger players.
Le Bris must ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself for his side, and there must be a lot of caution in ensuring that the current Sunderland outfit are able to bounce back after this recent minor blip.