Footballers rarely say what Nordi Mukiele said on Sunday. After Sunderland lost 2-0 at Bournemouth, the defender called his own team "not good enough" and said, "Maybe because we became arrogant, this is what I think." It was their fourth straight Premier League defeat, and it leaves the Black Cats second from bottom.
The numbers are ugly
Sunderland surprised everyone last season by qualifying for the Europa League at the first attempt, after eight years away from the top flight. Now the comparison with last year is hard to look at. After seven games last season they had 11 points and were ninth, with three wins, two draws and two defeats. This time they have four points, from one win, a draw and five defeats.
The defending is the biggest problem. They have conceded 14 goals, and only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have conceded more. Opta says no side has made more errors leading to goals than Sunderland's five. Omar Alderete became only the third player this season to commit multiple errors leading to goals, joining team-mate Kevin Danso and Hull's Konstantinos Tzolakis. At the other end they have scored just six, and their three shots at Bournemouth, all off target, were the lowest total for any team in a Premier League game this season.
Is Europe the reason?
There is an obvious theory, and it deserves a hearing. Sunderland have a perfect record in the Europa League, with wins over AZ Alkmaar and Torreense, but they have lost both league games played straight after those matches. One of those was an eight-goal thriller against league leaders Manchester City. Former Newcastle goalkeeper Shay Given thinks the squad may not be deep enough for the extra games after last season's seventh-placed finish. "You need a bigger squad, a deeper squad, and it's going to be a big ask," he said.
The summer business was lighter than the year before. After gaining promotion in 2025 they spent £161m on 15 new players, but this summer they spent about £60m on five. Keeping captain Granit Xhaka and striker Brian Brobbey was probably the real success, though Brobbey is currently out with a hamstring injury.
What Le Bris and Mukiele want now
Head coach Regis le Bris did not go quite as far as his defender, but he was blunt. "We were below the level, it's really clear," he said. "It's very painful because we were not Sunderland and it's not acceptable." He admitted the schedule is busy and that the current position is not good.
The fixture list has not been kind either. Sunderland have already played Manchester City, champions Arsenal and in-form Brighton. Mukiele was not interested in hiding behind that. He said the problem starts in training, because "we don't do enough", and that against Bournemouth it did not look like they wanted to win. Still, he insisted he believes they can get back to the top. Next up is Lech Poznan in the Europa League on Thursday, and it is the league that matters most. Given, for one, expects Le Bris to find enough to keep them safe.
Club facts: Sunderland are second from bottom in the Premier League with four points from seven games, 14 goals conceded and six scored. Bournemouth 2-0 Sunderland, Sunday 18 October (Kevin Danso sent off in the 17th minute). Next: Lech Poznan v Sunderland, Europa League, Thursday 22 October, 17:45.
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