2 hours ago 2

Villa Game: How Is Your Confidence In Sunderland’s Chances?

At the start of the season, I would have snapped your hand off for 7 points after 4 games. Combine that total with Villa’s start to the season, and suddenly it seems reasonable to expect a points return against a team that was challenging for a Champions League spot last season.

The pressure is all on Villa, whose fans will want and expect nothing less than to take all three points back to the Midlands. Equally, I think Emery will be looking at this match as a big opportunity to reset their season against a newly promoted side.

I think we can get a point, and all three is not out of the question if we can wear them down and make them feel the pressure from the start. What feels really good about this team at the moment is that if we do concede, I trust this group of players to stick to the plan and work for a result, dare I say it, ’til the end.

I’m starting to feel more and more confident in this squad and set up, so much so that win, lose, or draw against Villa on Sunday, it won’t dent my belief at all.

I think it will be a game of fine margins. One magical touch or deft pass will make a difference. The point being, I already know we can compete in this league and that anything is possible, so although I’m hopeful of a win, any other result is not the end of my positivity.

I’ve got a ticket for my Villa neighbour so it will be his first visit to the SOL, and indeed, the north east - I just hope he’s not sulking too much on the way home!

Sunderland have put themselves in a great position after their first 4 games, and the reward is not that the game against Villa doesn’t matter, but a defeat is in no way catastrophic to our survival hopes.

As it stands, we are in the position all teams want to be - with the points on the board, and although there is a marathon still to run, we have made an ideal start.

Villa are on the other side of the coin and are searching early doors for a spark to set their season alight, with anything other than a win on Sunday set to put them further behind their rivals as they chase European football again this season.

All in all, it leaves Villa in a position where they must come to a bouncing Stadium of Light, which is rapidly regaining its reputation as a cauldron of noise and an intimidating place to play, needing a result, while Sunderland sit in a more comfortable position altogether.

As we chase the hallowed ground of 1ppg, we find ourselves nicely ahead of that particular curve, although we could sharply be raked back in with a succession of testing away games to come. For now, though, we must take it one game at a time, and a win would place us in a brilliant position to really kick on into and beyond the next international window.

Altogether, we are where we are because it has been earned through toil, effort, skill, and the occasional bit of luck, but because of that, I feel completely at ease. Ultimately our season won’t be defined by one single game and Villa at home on Sunday is no different, so long as we trend at 1 point per game or more, we should be fine so until we reach a point where that becomes almost unattainable, I’m not inclined to worry especially when in the opening stint this side has shown that they deserve to be at this level and compete as such.

Despite the ‘but this is sunlun’ voice ringing in my head, you’ve got to think we can continue our 100% start in the Premier League life at the Stadium of Light against a stuttering Aston Villa side.

We seem to have gone quietly under the radar in our performances, and I agree with what Connor Bromley said on yesterday’s episode of Haway The Podcast: that there is a lazy narrative with most pundits around our prospects. Even the bookies have Villa as favourites, which is odd considering they are yet to score this season, and we’ve scored five times in two home games.

5/2 on Betfair for us to win seems very generous odds to me. We should give the bookies a bloody nose to make them take notice.

Nobody seems to have noticed that we are approaching this campaign in a measured and targeted way. The personnel are in place to make this a well-oiled machine, and as the team plays more minutes together, things can only get better… can’t they?