
Regis Le Bris has already had one bit of fortune ahead of Premier League return but will need more.
Surviving in the Premier League this season will be tough for Sunderland so they need to make the most of every little break.
There’s been plenty of talk about Sunderland’s opening few fixtures and it’s fair to say they could determine the club’s Premier League fate.
Let’s be honest, if Regis lLe Bris had been asked to pick out the clubs he would like his Sunderland side to start against, he couldn’t have handpicked them better.
Of course they are difficult games. This is the Premier League.
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But playing West Ham United, Burnley, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the opening six games represents, relatively speaking, a more than favourable baptism.
No Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal – dare we say Newcastle United. They will come later.
But the fixture schedule represents a double-edged sword. Yes there are points to be won from the outset and the club couldn’t have asked for a set of kinder fixtures.
On the other hand, a failure to make the most of it and collect points early on would be damaging heading into the tougher period beyond those opening matches, starting with Manchester United on October 4. Okay, you could argue that United is another winnable one given where they finished last season but, well, it’s Manchester United.
December looks to be a brutal month – Liverpool, Manchester City (not once but twice), Newcastle, Brighton and Leeds.
That has more of a ‘Welcome to the Premier League’ look about it for sure.
I loved this sobering online post from an Ipswich Town supporter.
“Ipswich Fan here. I wish Sunderland, Burnley (and Leeds too, I guess) all the luck in the world.
“With regards to what they need to survive in the Premier League, that’s easy – LUCK. Luck that they have limited injuries. Luck that they play the best teams when they have the worst form. Luck with VAR (especially against the top six). Luck that they don’t start with Liverpool at home as their first game as we did. “Good luck to you.”
Well, it’s West Ham not Liverpool and so that’s the first piece of luck out of the way for the Black Cats.
It can only be hoped that is a sign of things to come in what is sure to be a challenging season to say the least.
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