An Away Derby Success Would Be One For The Ages
· Yahoo Sports
As a general rule of thumb, I don’t tend to issue rallying cries without an element of conviction to back them up.
Many of my Roker Report colleagues are far more adept at finding the sweet spot when banging that particular drum and trading in blood-stirring Shakespearean oratory in the process, whereas I prefer to deal in realism wherever possible — and the realist in me is currently harvesting the same kind of nervous energy showcased by Melker Ellborg during Saturday’s narrow loss to Brighton.
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Am I optimistic about the chances of a Sunderland victory in Sunday’s Wear-Tyne derby? Not particularly.
Would I love my concerns to be misplaced? That question needs no answer and I urge you, the readers of this article, not to lapse into a “This one doesn’t really matter as much. It’s a free hit because we’ve already achieved our primary objective of Premier League survival”-type mindset.
It matters enormously. Pride is at stake. It’s a clash between a club that’s been reconstructed organically and another that’s been fuelled by Middle Eastern petro-dollars. It’s big — and nobody should claim otherwise.
Nevertheless, derbies wait for no man and as we gear up for the always-nervy trip to St James’ Park, two things feel guaranteed: that Nick Woltemade won’t attempt any ‘Hail Mary’ headers when facing his own goal, and that Sunderland are going to have to dig more deeply, play more smartly and be more ruthless in front of goal than they’ve perhaps been all season in order to emerge from the Saudi Alcove On The Hill with any form of positive result.
The first instalment of this season’s local derby was an absolute riot, one of those iconic Stadium of Light occasions on which the spirit of the late Gary Rowell hung in the air and the Lads rose to the challenge of Newcastle quite magnificently — not by playing the most dazzling football but by outworking their opponents and demonstrating a ferocious competitive spirit that in recent times has flickered rather than burned brightly.
It’s fair to say that amid all of the recent chatter about early Stadium of Light leavers and the like, there are more pressing issues for Régis Le Bris to grapple with.
The idea of blowing the hosts off the park with dazzling football may be somewhat unrealistic but our recent trip to Elland Road and victory over Leeds United was a glorious triumph of substance over style, so will anyone complain if the Lads spend 80% of Sunday’s game with their backs against the wall yet somehow emerge triumphant? I suspect they won’t.
If we’re currently enduring a dip in form as opposed to being in the midst of a slump, it’s heartening to consider that we do have the talent in the dressing room to emerge stronger for the experience — and nobody should attempt to downplay the possible psychological boost that a victory or even a draw would provide ahead of the international break.
What a time, then, for Granit Xhaka and his teammates to travel deeply into the heart of black and white territory, find a new wave of energy and attempt to complete what would possibly be the greatest single-season league double over Newcastle that many of us have ever seen.
These are the fixtures for which Xhaka was signed to influence; games during which his leadership credentials, vast experience and elite mentality ought to come to the fore. Forget the nonsense of Port Vale as he was thrown on in the latter stages as we desperately sought an equaliser — this is where the Swiss international should thrive and it’s a challenge he’ll doubtless relish.
Elsewhere, let us pray for a miraculous Robin Roefs recovery after a noticeably wobbly display from Ellborg against Brighton, and for the hugely influential Nordi Mukiele to pass muster after a period out injured.
Furthermore, potentially reintroducing the class of Reinildo and the work rate and vision of Enzo Le Fée (a player whose influence nobody should ever rightly question again) back into the starting eleven for Sunday’s lunchtime kick off would give us even more of an edge. A Sunderland team stripped of such talents is a diminished threat; a Sunderland team able to call on such a quartet of players can give anyone a game — and this should be a hell of a game.
Looking back at our victory over Leeds, the way in which we approached that game was ideally suited to the environment and the dynamic of the match, but I’ve also sensed a little bit of softness about Sunderland in recent times as we’ve let games slip away amid frustration and a lack of threat up top — with our recent loss to the Seagulls a case in point.
I wouldn’t necessarily label it as ‘complacency’ now that the target of forty points has been reached, but the aggression and ferocity with which we often tore into opponents — particularly in defence — hasn’t quite been there and it’s played a key role in our home losses to Liverpool, Fulham and Brighton.
That said, this game should bring that back in spades and in what’ll doubtless be a highly-charged home atmosphere, there’ll be no place to hide for Sunderland’s youngsters nor their more experienced teammates.
I’ve seen plenty of memorable Lads’ victories at St James’ Park over the years and a win on Sunday would rank among the greatest. Let’s hope Le Bris and the players can stand tall, soak up the hostility and give the hosts something to think about.
History awaits if they do so.