Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray is ‘relaxed’ following three successive defeats as he looks to bounce back against Norwich City this weekend.
The Black Cats entered the international break fourth in the Championship earlier this month, but a trio of losses has seen them slip to tenth following a 1-0 reverse at runaway leaders Leicester City on Tuesday night. However, showcasing how tight the division is, the Wearsiders are just three points behind third-placed Leeds United.
Whilst recent form looks bad on paper, the fixture against the Foxes earlier this week represented a free hit, whilst the 4-0 hammering at the hands of local rivals Middlesbrough can be swept under the carpet thanks to the bizarre sending off of Dan Neil shortly before half time when the score was locked at 0-0.
The loss against Stoke City last weekend was disappointing, but Mowbray remains positive ahead of a return to the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Speaking to official club media before the clash with the Canaries, the 59-year-old said;
“I’m pretty relaxed where we are. We’ve got three points less than what Burnley had last year at this stage of the season, so we shouldn’t be too unhappy.
“We are three points off third in the league, so let’s keep going.
“We prepare the team for the next game by breaking down what was good and what was bad from previous matches. I think there has been plenty of good this season so far and of course, things to work on, but that’s football.”
The former Celtic boss isn’t taking anything for granted though, pinpointing Norwich’s recent Premier League experience;
“It’s an opportunity for us to play well and try and win the game. I think we’ve done that so often this season and you don’t always get what you deserve from football matches.
“Norwich are a team with a lot of experienced players if you think about (Shane) Duffy, (Ben) Gibson, and (Kenny) McLean. They have international players and they have been competing in the Premier League in recent years.
“They also have a coach who has been promoted out of this league before, so it’s a tough game for us.
“Norwich was the game before I came in last year. They won 1-0. We are expecting a really tough game.”
Writer’s View
The six-place drop over the course of the past fortnight looks alarming, but a couple of wins would see Sunderland return to the play-off places.
Leicester and Ipswich Town aside, everyone else appears to be struggling to put together a consistent run of form and just eight points currently separate Leeds in third and Huddersfield Town in 21st. You’d do well to predict who will be in the play-offs come May, although Tony Mowbray will be confident that his side will be one of the four participants at the very least.
