Given that Sunderland are so very close to their points target from the start of the season, there’s a feeling — certainly from my perspective, anyway — that this game against Liverpool has slightly more
riding on it than your usual Premier League outing.
Every time someone from within the club is asked about targets and achievable goals this season, there is a very clear and concise point made — all that we are focusing on and thinking about is reaching the magic forty-point mark. Right now we’re sat on 36, so we’re close, but we’re not quite there yet.
The fact that I’m even considering that we could get within touching distance of that with a win over Liverpool on Wednesday night is telling about how each club has performed this season. Arne Slot’s side, who were clearly the best team in the land last season and won the Premier League, are only three points ahead of us in the table. Victory on Wednesday night would put us level with the reigning Champions. An amazing thought.
Of course, nothing is decided in February, and there’s a long way to go, but can you imagine what a win against such a brilliant side would do for our collective confidence heading into a much kinder-looking run of fixtures?
The daft thing is, I genuinely believe we can do it. Right now, Liverpool are a wounded animal, and they’ll still be hurting after losing to Manchester City on Sunday in a game they really ought to have gotten something from. Their talisman on that evening, Dominik Szoboszlai, is suspended, and there’s a glaring hole in the right-back position that Sunderland really ought to target and exploit. This is a great opportunity to earn a statement-making win over a side that I wouldn’t have dreamed of us beating six months ago.
We absolutely have to smell blood. Yes, Sunderland are the last remaining unbeaten Premier League home side, and with that comes the pressure to maintain our glittering spell of form, but you have to think that all the pressure is on Liverpool right now. They’ve got no chance of winning the league and retaining their title, but they’re in serious danger of completely blowing their season altogether. What if the unthinkable happens, and they fail to qualify for Europe? It may seem extreme, but it’s certainly possible, and these are the doubts that will be creeping into the minds of their players and coaching staff. I can’t imagine that after such a morale-sapping loss that they’ll be particularly looking forward to travelling up to the north-east on a Wednesday night to play against a team who has nothing to fear.
Many supporters have quite rightly pointed out that there has been a change in the atmosphere at the Stadium of Light in our last two home games, but I just put that down to the fact that we were playing teams that we were expected to beat. That simply won’t be the case on Wednesday, and I think people will be really up for it against Liverpool, a side who may well not be at their best but are still expected to come and beat us. We thrive off being the underdog, and that brings with it a spirit that enables the fans to find an extra level or two, and should create the foundations for an atmosphere within the stadium that could well carry the players over the line to victory.
Every tackle, every header, every second ball — we must cheer it ferociously. The players have to do their part too and understand what a strong start early doors can do for how the rest of the game plays out from that point. When we win tackles or stick the ball into row Z for a throw-in, I want to see the Lads roaring towards the crowd and throwing up their arms — let’s make sure that Liverpool know that they’re in for a rough night.
Then, who knows? We could be sat here on Thursday morning, proud as punch of yet another excellent Sunderland performance at the Stadium of Light, level on points with last season’s Champions and just one point away from our first huge target of the campaign.
Let’s believe that we can achieve it. Let’s give them hell.
