Matt Le Tissier drops bold Sunderland verdict after what he’s seen
Sunderland must not get ahead of themselves after their impressive return to the Premier League but will have a chance of European football if they continue playing well up to Christmas.
That is according to Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who exclusively told Football Insider that he believes many Sunderland fans will still simply take surviving relegation this season.
Sunderland sealed promotion back to the Premier League in May with a 2-1 win against Sheffield United in the play-off final at Wembley.
They spent a lot in the summer window, with the likes of Granit Xhaka joining from Bayer Leverkusen, Habib Diarra signed from Strasbourg and Simon Adingra from Brighton, among many more.
Regis Le Bris‘ side have taken to the top-flight with ease so far following their big spending, with four wins from their first eight games of the campaign to see them into seventh place with 14 points ahead of a trip to Chelsea this weekend.
Sunderland have been hugely impressive so far this season
Many fans and neutrals alike feared for the Black Cats upon their promotion due to the lack of Premier League quality in their squad, but their 15 summer arrivals have helped them massively up to now.
Xhaka was handed the captain’s armband by Le Bris ahead of the campaign just weeks after joining, and he has been a key man so far, while Robin Roefs has also massively impressed for Sunderland and is now rated as one of best young goalkeepers in the Premier League.
They have lost just one of their last six games, with three wins in that time, including a 2-0 triumph last time out against Wolves as Nordi Mukiele scored his first for the club.
Regis Le Bris is confident about his side’s chances of success this season, but also knows that they face a tough test with a trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday (25 October).
Prior to the game, he said: “It’s been a good start to the season for us. It shows we were consistent, flexible. Chelsea are really strong, it’s a top four team in the Premier League.
“They can play 60 games, they have depth, young and dynamic. It’s a good example for us. They are well coached and have individuals who can win a game. It’s a big test.”
Le Tissier backs Sunderland to challenge at the top if they can continue their impressive form to Christmas
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, former England and Southampton striker Le Tissier insisted that those at Sunderland should not be getting ahead of themselves, but he can foresee them having a real chance of competing for Europe if they continue to impress.
He said: “I think if you probably ask anybody at Sunderland right now, they’d still take just staying up, because that first season when you come up from the Championship is a key one.
“If you can get a foothold in the Premier League, then that is massive. I don’t think anybody at Sunderland will be getting carried away with the start that they’ve had so far.
“As we know, it’s a brutal league, and all of a sudden if two or three results go the wrong way you’re surpassed by five or six teams below you. All of a sudden, you’re looking over your shoulder.
“Although it looks pretty good at the moment, I don’t think they’ll be getting carried away with the start. I don’t think they’ll probably be dreaming about European football just yet. They’re like Forest last season, really, at this stage, they probably weren’t thinking about European football.
“But as you go on, if you still keep picking up the results and all of a sudden you get to Christmas and you’re still in the top nine or ten teams, then I think at that point you can say, ‘OK, this is half the season gone now. We’ve played everyone. Perhaps we have got a chance of sneaking in there.’
“So, yeah, I think from this period now up until Christmas will be key for Sunderland as to what their ambitions are in the second half of the season.“