Sunderland

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

I hate international breaks.

I have really enjoyed this season so far, but the worst part of it has been having things repeatedly disrupted - and there's ANOTHER one in November!

Not only do I have to find other things to do around the house, but I have to wait anxiously on whether one of our players has got injured while away with their country.

As I write, it seems one of our key men has picked up a knock and is a doubt for the home game with Wolves this weekend.

Noah Sadiki has been an absolute revelation at Sunderland since arriving from Union Saint-Gilloise summer. Initially, I was not sure if he was one for the future or was someone to come straight into the starting XI.

It was clear from minute one of pre-season that he is a proper player and not here to warm the bench.

Prior to arriving, his nickname was 'Mini Kante'. You can totally see why once you see him popping up here, there, and everywhere on the pitch.

He is so good at covering the ground that when we went down to 10 men against Aston Villa, nobody really noticed, as Noah did the running of two men.

He missed out on DR Congo's second international game of the break with a sprained ankle and was sent back to Wearside for treatment and assessment.

The brief footage we have seen showed him limping and, while he was not wearing a moon boot or using crutches, it did not look great.

Injuries and knocks aside, it is not ideal trying to prepare for a game when most of your squad will not return to training ground until Thursday or Friday.

But all teams at this level have good players, so Wolves will be no different to us. We have just got to hope Regis le Bris has eked value from the time he has had with his remaining players.

We beat Livingston in a behind-closed-doors friendly with a relatively strong side last week. Those minutes will be important going forward, as injuries to Habib Diarra and Sadiki prove we are going to need a fit and firing squad to stand any chance of surviving.

For the first time in forever, we are favourites for a Premier League game - and with good reason.

We have had a cracking start while Wolves are bottom, but they have improved recently. Even so, they have chucked away leads against Spurs and Brighton late on, which may point to some fragility. We have to try and exploit that.

With tougher games on the horizon, this result may prove pivotal to keep up our brilliant start to the season.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

Even though we are in the middle of an international break, there is still plenty to talk about at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland are continuing to defy expectations and sit in the top half of the Premier League. Regis le Bris' side have four games to play before the next international break in November, including matches against Chelsea and Arsenal.

Do you have a burning question about tactics, player contracts, the upcoming January transfer window or anything in between? BBC Radio Newcastle's Sunderland commentator Nick Barnes will be answering a selection later this week.

Get in touch with your question here

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Sunderland's head of player recruitment Stuart Harvey has left the club.

Harvey spent four years with the Black Cats, playing a key role in the their two promotions from League One to the Premier League.

Sunderland made 15 signings over the summer after wining the Championship play-off final and have started well in the top flight, sitting ninth after seven games, but a club statement said the decision has been taken to "mutually part ways".

Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman said: "Stuart has made a significant contribution to Sunderland AFC throughout his time at the club.

"His professionalism, expertise, and dedication have been evident throughout, and he has played a key part in our progress in recent years.

"He worked tirelessly through the summer to ensure continuity and consistency in our recruitment processes, and he leaves with our gratitude and best wishes for the future."

Marc Guiu may return to Sunderland during the January transfer window despite the 19-year-old striker only being recalled from his loan spell at the Stadium of Light by Chelsea in August. (GiveMeSport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

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Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini placed "a lot of expectation" on Regis le Bris' side when they travelled to Old Trafford last weekend.

The Black Cats fell to a 2-0 defeat after conceding two first-half goals, something which the former player said was "frustrating".

Speaking on BBC Radio Newcastle, Gabbiadini said: "They just didn't have the final touches against Manchester United. We have seen some good goals scored away from home and some comebacks at home this season, but it just didn't happen for them this time.

"The result was frustrating because there was a lot of expectation on them, myself included in that.

"You don't often get the opportunity to go to Old Trafford and feel like you are the better team.

"They may have better players that cost a lot more money, but as a team they aren't as well organised or advanced as us at this stage of the season."

Listen to the full conversation on BBC Sounds

Gavin Henderson
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

My pre-match enthusiasm for a successful Sunderland result was quickly dampened when, after just eight minutes, Mason Mount brought the ball down with a deft touch and passed it into the net past Robin Roefs at Old Trafford on Saturday.

It was, perhaps, a reminder that the Premier League is an unforgiving mistress, and even at a low point, every single team at this level has the quality and capability within their ranks to devastate you with a moment of quality.

Could and should Sunderland have got something from this game? I'd argue yes - after we went 2-0 down and made tactical and personnel changes, I think the Lads created more than enough chances to give ourselves a decent chance of evening the scores, but it just wasn't to be. There wasn't much in it, but we didn't take the chances that we did have, and unfortunately, it just wasn't our day. That's the other side to the Premier League too - you absolutely need to take your chances, otherwise you'll be punished. Minutes into the game, Bertrand Traore missed the ball as it ran across him from 10 yards out; Dan Ballard's free header just before half-time hit the side netting when it really should have made the inside of Senne Lammens' goal bulge; and there were shots from Granit Xhaka, Eliezer Mayenda, and Chemsdine Talbi that, really, we ought to have done better with.

That said, it could have been much worse, and you absolutely have to credit Regis Le Bris and his players for not letting the game run away from them. Instead, we shored things up, and we were competitive.

We've now played seven games at this level, and in none of them have we not been in the game. That in itself is something to take pride in, because it shows we can compete. Sure, we won't win every single match, but to expect us to do that would be farcical. All we can realistically expect is that the players show the desired effort required, and if it's not good enough on the day, then we just hold our hands up and move on quickly.

That said, we were not helped by the officiating, and it feels to me that the poor decision-making from Stuart Attwell and his assistants has gone under the radar. The decision to reverse the penalty call still baffles me, as, regardless of whether or not contact was made, it's a high boot and anywhere else on the pitch, that's a foul, so why not in the box? How, with the benefit of VAR, was the correct decision not reached? Then, later in the game, there was the call to book Traore for diving when he was obviously fouled. This is where I don't understand the use of VAR, because if Traore had collected a second yellow and had been sent off, it would have been unfair, as he shouldn't have received the booking in the first place. Shouldn't the VAR officials be able to contact the referee in that instance and tell him he got it wrong? Bruno Fernandes and, to a slightly lesser extent, Lammens can count themselves lucky that they got away with that one.

It's a shame to be heading into the international break on the back of a defeat, but we can hold our heads up high, take advantage of the time that the break affords us, and then go out and give a good account of ourselves against Wolves at the Stadium of Light.

Hopefully, we can stretch our good run of home form against a team who are struggling - another win would signal we're still heading in the right direction and are looking at what can be constituted as a good season for Sunderland.

Find more from Gavin Henderson at Roker Report, external

Image source, Getty Images

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says people can "overthink" Regis le Bris' decision not to start defender Dan Ballard in Saturday's 2-0 defeat against Manchester United.

Ballard was left on the bench from the start at Old Trafford but was brought on with 37 minutes gone and the Black Cats already two goals down.

"It's easy to say [he should have started] but sometimes you can mess about too much," Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle.

"If it comes of you're a genius but, if it doesn't, have you done the right thing?

"Most coaches edge on the side of everyone knowing their job. Sometimes there's a glaring mismatch but sometimes your position on the field doesn't make too much difference. There's a certain responsibility on a player to read the game and fill in the position which they think is needed.

"We're in an age where these things get analysed by hundreds of people with different opinions. He's gone to a back five but that can also mean he's gone to a back three with two full-backs pushing on. There's two different ways of reading that.

"We can overthink it sometimes and I think the key things went for Manchester United on the day.

"We never got outplayed or overawed particularly. Like all Le Bris teams have been, we were competitive, had opportunities to get forward, but did the sensible thing a lot of the time.

"You just sometimes have to move on to the next game."

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Manchester United and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Man Utd fans

Bob: Very small tweaks made a very big difference. Plus, it's nice to have a goalkeeper who at last who appears to know his job. When Matheus Cunha finally snicks into gear we may have a chance of top five... maybe!

Brian: Any win in a good win. The performance was better overall but as a side we give the ball away in the middle third far too easily with players out of position. This put us immediately under pressure. I struggle to understand why we don't knock more balls in the air into the box now we have a centre forward who is 6ft 5in. In summary, there was better quality of passing and better balls into areas we can score from. We can and will play better.

Paul: Really good performance from the players with plenty of good pressing and passing. Benjamin Sesko was a revelation and Senne Lammens showed why we bought him with a good first outing. Ruben Amorim made his usual strange substitutions but thankfully it didn't affect the result. What we need now is consistency and the results should follow.

Sam: It is a much-needed win, however, how often have we seen this before from United? They are consistently average, then receive criticism from all sources, and then put in a reasonable shift to scrape a win. Amorim is the wrong man in my honest opinion, and this group of players are unrecognisable as a true Manchester United team, unfortunately.

Sunderland fans

David: The first 35 minutes was arguably the poorest we have defended this season, until Regis le Bris was brave enough to admit that he had picked the wrong XI and change the system. We then held our own against an impressive United but, being greedy, we still need to work on being more of an attacking threat and a cutting edge. Great start to the season overall though.

Andre: So kicking someone's armpit or chest isn't a foul is it not? It has to be the head apparently. Isn't a high foot kicking any part of the opposition player a foul? A high foot is a high foot. And to book Bertrand Traore when he was clearly wiped out was shocking too.

Peter: Not fantastic but because of our great start, the disappointment is dampened. I hoped we could win as Man Utd have come under so much pressure. Le Bris will be frustrated to not take all three or even one but still such a positive start.

Lee: The shape was wrong to begin with but that's fine because it was spotted and changed. However, our passing was well off and it was frustrating not to see us mix things up and go more direct to cause a bit of chaos. All too easy for Man Utd.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures and Friday's action.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

• Manchester United 2-0 Sunderland

• Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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All the talk pre-match had been about Amorim and his system.

It is the respective sizes of the clubs that mean Sunderland boss Regis le Bris is able to go about his work without the same intense scrutiny and external analysis they have to deal with at Old Trafford.

Maybe it will pass more or less unnoticed that the French manager, who has gained such plaudits for his work on Wearside, had to make a change after 37 minutes because he got his formation wrong and needed to find a way of stopping United getting straight through his team.

The decision to introduce defender Daniel Ballard for winger Simon Adringa allowed Le Bris to revert to a back five, after which Sunderland were not opened up quite so much.

By then though, the visitors had Robin Roefs to thank for still being in the game.

Roefs made replica saves to turn away shots by Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo, both of which were heading for the bottom corner.

The Dutchman did even better to deny Fernandes, who found space inside the box and curled an excellent shot towards the top corner

Sunderland manager Regis le Bris speaking after the defeat to Man Utd: "We didn't start well, it's a bit disappointing because we had good ambition here. The first 30 minutes were not at the level expected or the Premier League.

"They [United] scored twice then after that it became another game. We changed our shape to make a one-v-one game, it was a bit chaotic but at least we were back in the game. We were not strong enough to create chances today, only at the end."

On the overturned penalty: "I haven't reviewed it so I don't know, I don't think it would change my opinion about the game. This game doesn't define our start to the season. But when we are not at the level I don't think we can exist in this league.

"We are still a young team with not much experience together so we need the ups and owns. Obviously we don't want to be too negative when we lose but it's a strong reminder because this league is very demanding."

Did you know?

• Sunderland have failed to score in three of their four away games in the Premier League this season (W1 D1 L2), while they've now scored in just seven of their last 21 matches on the road in the competition (W4 D1 L16).

Listen on BBC Sounds to hear more from the manager, plus BBC Radio Sunderland's post-match reaction

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on United's performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Ruben Amorim hands deadline day arrival Senne Lammens his debut for Manchester United.

Lammens was an £18.1m signing from Royal Antwerp but has spent three games on the bench.

Mason Mount, Casemiro, Amad and Leny Yoro are all included as Matheus Cunha, Harry Maguire, Patrick Dorgu and Manuel Ugarte drop to the bench.

Manchester United XI: Lammens, Yoro, De Ligt, Shaw, Amad, Casemiro, Fernandes, Dalot, Mbeumo, Mount, Sesko. Substitutes: Bayindir, Maguire, Cunha, Zirkzee, Dorgu, Ugarte, Heaven, Leon, Mainoo.

Sunderland make two changes to the side that won at Nottingham Forest last week.

Bertrand Traore and Simon Adringa are both included as Chris Rigg and Chemsdine Talbi drop to the bench.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Masuaku, Alderete, Mukiele, Hume, Sadiki, Xhaka, Le Fee, Traore, Adringa, Isidor. Substitutes: Patterson, Neil, Ballard, Geertruida, Talbi, Brobbey, Rigg, Mayenda, O'Nein.

There are four games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Leeds United v Tottenham (12:30)

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester United v Sunderland - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Chelsea v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v West Ham" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Sunderland fans should be thanking me, really, because I keep saying they will be beaten and Regis le Bris' side keep on proving me wrong.

So far, I've said the Black Cats will lose five of their six games. The other one was against Burnley in week two, where I went for a draw... and they suffered their only defeat of the season.

I am going to do the dirty on them this week, and I am going to predict they will win - which obviously means they won't - so apologies to all Sunderland supporters, because they must be absolutely furious with me for doing this.

I am not just backing them for the sake of it, clearly. They are extremely well organised and everything about them has been impressive.

Manchester United, on the other hand, are still a mess.

You can blame Ruben Amorim for that as much as you like but when your centre-half is running out and taking a chance on an offside on a long ball, like Harry Maguire did for Brentford's first goal last week, then that is just terrible defending.

That's where I feel for Amorim. Altay Bayindir should also have done better with Brentford's second goal and the goalkeeping situation is perplexing too - they have brought Senne Lammens in, but where is he?

It is just all muddled thinking at United and Amorim is starting to look like a guy who wants to be put out of his misery.

They are just not improving under him, although he might actually get a result here off the back of me saying Sunderland will win.

Sutton's prediction: 0-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Under-fire Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim takes charge of his 50th fixture, with in-form Sunderland the opponents. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes before Saturday's match.

Amorim admitted his side need "more personality to control games" following last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Brentford, a result which means United remain without back-to-back league wins during his tenure. But the 40-year-old rejected claims his 3-4-2-1 formation is not working, insisting "when we win it's not the system, when we lose it's the system".

Nonetheless, the error-strewn performance in west London ramps up the pressure to beat newly promoted Sunderland.

It is the type of fixture in which Amorim's United have generally been able to make their class tell. While the Red Devils have won just seven Premier League games this calendar year, that includes all four meetings with newly promoted opposition. However, the Black Cats' strong start to the season means this match is anything but a formality.

If United can win, there will be one positive omen for Amorim. None of the club's previous five managers won their 50th game in charge, with the last to do so Sir Alex Ferguson in 1987.

Lucky omen for Black Cats?

Sunderland head to Manchester buoyed by last weekend's victory at Nottingham Forest and vying for back-to-back top-flight away wins – a feat they last achieved, coincidentally, courtesy of a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford in May 2014.

Seb Larsson scored the winner that day, earning the Wearsiders their only victory away to United since 1968 and effectively ensuring survival for Gus Poyet's team.

Staying up looks an increasingly realistic prospect for the current crop of players. This is the Black Cats' 17th season in the Premier League but the first in which their points tally has been in double figures after six games. They have not made a better start to a top-flight campaign for 70 years.

Regis le Bris' men are only the seventh promoted side to reach 11 points at this stage of a Premier League season – the other six all stayed up.

Dan Roan
Sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

A decision on whether to scrap the Premier League's controversial Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and adopt an "alternative system" is "coming up", says chief executive Richard Masters.

The current regulations, introduced in 2015-16 to prevent clubs from overspending, allow losses of £105m over a three-year reporting cycle.

However, they have been criticised by several top-flight teams for limiting their ability to invest.

BBC Sport has been told a decision on any changes is likely to be made at a meeting in November.

In February, clubs chose to continue with PSR for the current season.

However a squad cost ratio (SCR) system of financial control was adopted by the Premier League on a shadowing, non-binding basis.

SCR is similar to Uefa's existing financial rules and allows clubs to spend up to a percentage of their total revenues on squad-related costs.

Nine of the league's 20 clubs already have to comply with Uefa's SCR as a result of qualifying for Europe. Both Chelsea and Aston Villa were fined by Uefa in July for breaching the rules.

Asked about SCR at the Leaders sports conference in London, Masters said: "We are talking to our clubs about an alternative system. That's not to say we don't think the PSR system works."

He added: "It's about closer alignment with European regulation, which is squad cost ratio, which is a revenue test. In Uefa, it's now set at 70%. Our system will be 85% because we always want our clubs to have the ability to invest.

"The Premier League has been built on the back of investment in which international capital flows [are] coming in. We don't want that to be to be stifled off."

Read more here

Nat Hayward
BBC Sport journalist

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Manchester United at Old Trafford (15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Le Bris dismissed speculation that Nordi Mukiele is a doubt for the trip to Manchester, saying the defender is "OK" before adding he has no other injury concerns.

• On maintaining his squad's culture amid a raft of summer signings: "We don't start from scratch - the identity of the club is already there. The new lads bring a new energy and style of play. The connection is really good."

• On being nominated for the Premier League manager of the month award: "It is a pleasure because it means our collective performance is positive at the minute. We want to be competitive. It's positive as a manager because I'm the man that speaks with you but it's a collective effort. Everyone has their own role. It's important to value even small tasks."

• How much potential does goalkeeper Robin Roefs have?: "We don't know. He starts at a really high level and he's really balanced, which means he can manage different events and scenarios. He can get different opportunities with the ball as well so we are happy to have a goalkeeper like that in our squad."

• He is pleased with his side's start to the season: "The most important thing is the points. If we win points, it means we are competitive. We started with a specific identity. We want to defend well and as a unit. We are ready to suffer together. If the foundations are strong, after that you can express yourself with the ball. It wasn't our best part at Nottingham. We can improve this area."

• On United's current form: "I don't know exactly because my focus is only on us. Every weekend, we analyse our opponent with just a short focus to try and find the right way to manage their strengths and how they can create danger. I don't have a specific opinion about the club. It is a huge club with a big history and strong players. They'll be hard to beat."

• Le Bris said the Black Cats have no fear visiting Old Trafford: "We want to express our ideas, our football and our identity. If the opponent is stronger than us, we will respect that but without any regrets at the end. This is our identity."

Listen to Le Bris on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Man Utd v Sunderland on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra from 15:00 BST on Saturday