What Can Tottenham Expect from Sunderland?

Tottenham return to more familiar environs on Sunday as they welcome Premier League opponents Sunderland to White Hart Lane. What do we know about the host’s chances?

First, a little history. Tottenham struggled to earn a 1-0 win away from home last September against Sunderland before easing through a 4-1 win in the reverse fixture in January.

The story isn’t much different in seasons prior to that. Indeed, since 2013 Tottenham have cumulatively outscored Sunderland 16 to 6, winning in each of those contests with the exception of one 2-2 draw.

That, in microcosm, is the story of Sunderland: so far below their relatively elite competition that it’s a wonder they are even still playing in the same league. And yet the scrappy Black Cats find a way to survive each and every year through some combination of luck, aging veterans and — evidently — conserving all of their quality until the final month or two of the season.

We are far away from that last minute surge to 17th place, and so it’s no surprise that the team Tottenham can expect on Sunday appears in absolute shambles.

Through four games, Sunderland have lost three and drawn once. They are sacrificing 15 shots per game per WhoScored, and find themselves close to the bottom of the Premier League in their own shots record, but total and on target.

More from Hotspur HQ

In between those two metrics is a team that new manager David Moyes seems unsure what to do with. Only four players on the first team have started in all four games. The club botched the permanent signing of standout midfielder Yann M’Vila on the final day of the transfer window, thereby losing arguably their best player from last term.

To make matters worse, Moyes has no reasonable backup to his only goalscoring threat, Jermain Defoe. Though not often injured, the former Tottenham striker is 33 years old.

The team otherwise is comprised of untested youngsters like American forward Lyden Gooch and Duncan Watmore, or Manchester United castoffs like John O’Shea, Adnan Januzaj and Donald Love.

In short, this is a team that looks more ill-prepared than any other Sunderland team in recent seasons for the rigors of the Premier League and, in truth, might even struggle in the Championship. Better teams than this have found themselves far short of the points required to survive by the end of the season. Just ask Sunderland rivals Newcastle.

Mauricio Pochettino and Tottenham won’t be looking at Sunderland’s faults however. They will instead concentrate on what could possibly complicate Tottenham’s march to victory on Sunday.

Consider Monday’s match against Everton. While Moyes’ team eventually succumbed to an 11 minute Romelu Lukaku hat-trick and lost the game, through the first half they had Everton more or less bottled up.

The Blues managed just two shots on target in the first 45 and otherwise struggled to get anywhere near to the center of Sunderland’s box. Part of that struggle, admittedly, came down to Ross Barkley having a bad day; the England midfielder’s substitution at half-time for Gerard Deulofeu sparked an immediate improvement.

A bad day for Barkley or not, Sunderland showed in a brief spurt what they could be capable of. In a prior life Moyes made an underfunded, understaffed Everton regularly compete with the big boys for a spot in Europe. This Sunderland team might be significantly worse than any Everton team Moyes ever coached, but the potential is there.

Next: Tottenham: Tom Carroll and Harry Winks Sign Extensions

Given the fact that Tottenham’s reputation — aggressive in attack yet prone to being stymied by a determined defensive effort — will likely precede them on Sunday, it wouldn’t be too shocking if Moyes elects to absorb pressure and take his chances with a limited attack.

Monaco’s success with that kind of game makes it all the more tempting, and also all the more likely that Pochettino will be ready to break through Sunderland’s considerably weaker wall. We can expect to see some more direct players like Heung-min Son and Moussa Sissoko featured from the start and, if necessary, off the bench.