The Black Cats seem to have found their best eleven and have seamlessly replaced their gap at centre-forward with new signing Wilson Isidor, who has racked up 4 goals in 6 starts so far. Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg have also grabbed headlines with considerable contributions in midfield despite their adolescence, whilst the underappreciated centre-back pairing of Luke O’Nien and Chris Mepham has proved difficult to score against with 4 clean sheets in their last 7 fixtures. It seems inevitable, with such a young cohort, that Sunderland will go through periods of inconsistency, but after 12 gameweeks they have shaped another promising title race.
Newly relegated sides Burnley and Sheffield united have also found themselves amongst the favourites in this year’s campaign, alongside a strong Leeds side under Daniel Farke, who knows what it takes to be promoted to the Premier league. Currently, individual quality seems to be at the forefront of the former PL sides. Josh Brownhill, Gustavo Hamer and Wilfried Gnonto are names frequent on each teams goal contribution tally, and will be vital in improving their clubs chances of securing this season’s title. West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers have shared similar experiences, with high numbers in the draws column keeping them separate from the more clinical Sunderland unit. As the season winds down these vital early results could hold enough weight to turn automatic promotion into a gruelling playoff run.
Luton Town, touted as a side with the quality to be in contention for a top two spot, sit in 20th place at the time of writing following defeat at the hands of Coventry City. The Sky Blues have themselves also struggled, with poor results further diminishing their hope for a playoff place. Both teams showed promise in the 2023/24 season, as Luton battled for 6 wins and 8 draws in the Premier league whilst Coventry reached the FA cup semi-final, and fans would have expected more from their respective clubs.
With another 34 games to go, the season’s story has not yet reached its climax; however, the first chapter has been written and Sunderland fans will be hopeful of a good ending.