Ordinarily, early-season international breaks can cause consternation and restlessness among fanbases.
In this instance, England boss Thomas Tuchel’s gaslighting nonsense regarding his loss of nerve during the World Cup semi-final has set the tone as England prepare for their autumn games, and for sides in good form, losing players to international duty can be a real momentum-killer.
However, in Sunderland’s case, as we head into the three-week hiatus on the back of a captivating eight-goal affair
at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, I can’t help but feel that it’s actually arrived at quite an opportune moment and after a challenging start, “Regroup and get back down to it” may be the unspoken message we carry into the coming weeks and a run of post-international break fixtures that do seem slightly more favourable.
If Sunday’s clash with Manchester City was yet another game from which we could’ve taken something had the cards fallen differently, it followed the pattern of a run of league fixtures that although tricky in terms of the calibre of opponent we’ve faced, should’ve brought more substantial rewards.
First and foremost, Sunderland’s 2026/2027 league results thus far have been somewhat frustrating.
Four points from five league games is not the return that many of us might’ve hoped for and even though that run comprised games against Ipswich, Fulham, Brentford, Arsenal and Manchester City, it’s not unfair to say that we let at least four points slide for various reasons, with defensive slackness proving our undoing at Portman Road and failure to take the chances that came our way at the GTech Stadium eventually allowing the hosts to take a share of the points.
However, winning our Europa League opener against AZ Alkmaar represented a real boon for everyone, and all of this must be set against the backdrop of one inarguable point: Sunderland are most definitely trying to evolve as a side.
Régis Le Bris — a defensively-minded and pragmatic coach by nature — has clearly made it his mission to unlock the attacking potential within this group of players and as we saw on Sunday, that potential is significant.
It’s going to be the trickiest of balancing acts to achieve that without losing the defensive solidity that underpinned our efforts last season, but what worked in 2025/2026 will not work to the same degree this time around. Le Bris has clearly recognised that, and I do think it gives us cause for optimism.
Instinct tells me that this Premier League season will have something of a “Barclays vibe” to it, with unpredictable results aplenty and many teams going through periodic lean spells. Given the demands on this squad, with European football to sit alongside our domestic commitments, it could easily represent the so-called difficult second season but I don’t think there’s anything to be unduly alarmed about just yet.
It’s also fair to say that we’re yet to see the absolute best of Sunderland’s summer intake, either.
Belgian veteran Thomas Meunier has slotted in nicely and Kevin Danso (Sunday’s tough assignment notwithstanding) has been a classy addition to the ranks, but the likes of Malick Fofana and Dayann Methalie are clearly still settling in and finding their way — and the same is true of young midfield prospect Jules Ahoka and Ecuadorian forward Juan Caicedo.
On the other hand, Granit Xhaka looks some way short of his all-action best — he’s giving his all but the unsavoury sideshow of a Covid controversy may be playing a role — and Robin Roefs doesn’t appear to be as commanding as we know he can be. Cause for concern? Probably not, and any suggestion that Xhaka is not fully committed just doesn’t stack up, in my view.
Prior to Sunday’s extraordinary battle with City, open play goals had been hard to come by, so despite the fact that Brian Brobbey’s stunning hat trick ultimately proved in vain, it was a relief to see the blue defence breached on three occasions — two of which, it must be said, were the result of some exceptionally slick play.
Brobbey is a unique striker with a unique skillset, but he thrives on service and at the Etihad, he got exactly what he would’ve wished for.
Can we be more creative? Absolutely.
Enzo Le Fée is the conduit through which so much of our attacking play is filtered and it’s going to be vitally important that the likes of Fofana, Nilson Angulo and others step up and carry their share of the load.
We do miss Habib Diarra’s relentless energy and drive, and I would like to see Chemsdine Talbi given more opportunities, but these aren’t the worst dilemmas to have to grapple with and I’m certain that Le Bris and his staff will be working flat out during the international break to find the answers to the questions.
It’s perhaps slightly too early to label this side as Sunderland 2.0, as we’ve yet to solve every puzzle and address every issue that’s held us back thus far, so let’s opt for Sunderland 1.5 instead.
The nucleus of a competitive top flight side remains intact and I don’t believe there’s been a shift in mindset, either. It’s been a slow start but there’s a lot of football ahead and I don’t feel that the scars of the failed top flight campaigns of years gone by should be causing us any undue discomfort.
