Sunderland boss Gus Poyet is under major pressure after his team’s 4-0 home defeat against Aston Villa
On Saturday Sunderland had the chance to move clear of the relegation zone as the Black Cats hosted fellow strugglers Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light.
Instead the side from the north east lost 4-0 with all four goals coming in the first half, with Villa forwards Gabby Agbonlahor and Christian Benteke helping themselves to a brace each.
Worse
Sunderland were perilously close to the drop zone prior to kick-off and courtesy of Burnley’s superb 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the evening kick-off, the Black Cats are now just one point above the drop zone.
Things are starting to look bleak for Gus Poyet’s struggling side.
Incredible
Aston Villa have struggled to win games and score goals away from home this season. In fact the Villans had suffered six straight defeats on the road and failed to score in any of those away day defeats.
However, it seems that Tim Sherwood’s arrival has sparked a mini revival at Villa Park and suddenly they look like a team that can score goals.
Three straight victories in all competitions and with a home game against midtable Swansea to come next weekend, the Villans look like they could now comfortably move clear of the drop zone in the near future, after struggling to gain anything positive from the last few months of Paul Lambert’s reign.
Villa boss Sherwood seems to be a person that divides opinion amongst fans and media alike, but his arrival has certainly changed things at Villa Park.
Bewildered
The man in the opposite dugout yesterday is in a completely different situation. Gus Poyet looks like a man that is absolutely bewildered, a man that is not enjoying his work at the moment. To say the Uruguayan’s future at the club is in doubt would be an understatement.
There had been speculation that Poyet may leave the club at the end of the season, because it would have probably suited both parties. However, the former-Brighton boss may now not make the end of the campaign.
The Black Cats fans seem to have had enough of their underperforming team and Poyet felt the Stadium of Light’s wrath yesterday. The home fans showed their distant for their team’s performance by voting with their feet, as thousands of fans streamed out of the ground in the first half.
Missed
Sunderland have looked pretty solid at times at the back this season, but sorely missed defensive midfield destroyer Lee Cattermole yesterday. The former-Middlesbrough is not the most skilful midfielder, but he adds bite to the midfield in front of the defence.
Cattermole will also miss the trip to West Ham next weekend, which could be a vital clash for the Black Cats.
Impotent
Sunderland’s problems have not been in defence in this season, but in attack, where they have struggled to find the net. The Black Cats have scored just one goal in their last five Premier League outings.
The January signing of Jermain Defoe was supposed to be the catalyst to the side from the north east to hit the goal trail. The experienced former-England international has scored just twice in eight appearances since returning from MLS in the winter transfer window.
Defoe has not scored in his last five Premier League appearances for Sunderland, but of course cannot be expected to do everything on his own.
The suspension of winger Adam Johnson has also not helped the teams attacking play. The former-Manchester City stars situation is a difficult one, with the club not sure when Johnson will be able to play again.
He played a big part in the Black Cats survival last season and is one of the team’s most creative players. Unfortunately his off-the-field problems have not helped his team.
Relegation
The threat of relegation is now a very real one for Sunderland. The Black Cats are now odds of 6/4 to be relegated, with bookmakers still believing that the current bottom three are the favourites for the drop.
However, if Sunderland continue to play like they did against Villa, then there will be a lot of sleepless nights ahead for the good people of Wearside in the next few months.
Will Sunderland be relegated this season?
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