Monday’s convincing victory over Burnley has virtually guaranteed Sunderland’s Premier League status for next season, with more than a third of fixtures still to play.
It was also the sixth occasion where the squad has responded to a defeat with a win — that speaks to the mentality of the group of players who have been blended together from last season’s promotion-winning heroes and the carefully selected cohort of summer recruits.
The ability to bounce back after disappointing performances against the likes of Burnley in August, Manchester United in October and West Ham in January is testament to the belief that RĂ©gis Le Bris has instilled in what has proved to be the surprise package of the season.
It is not just the fact that this is a team full of talented players which gives the squad character. It is that the club have recruited talented players who have the right character to play for this club, and for this coach.
For a goalkeeper of his age and experience, Robin Roefs should not have the calm temperament to control his area in the manner that he does. Ahead of him, he has Nordi Mukiele whose will to win is demonstrated, not only by his galloping forays down the wing, but by his willingness to put his body on the line. Dan Ballard embodies the ‘Til the end’ mentality that dragged this team back to the Premier League, Omar Alderete has the ice-cool mentality and ruggedness of a South American gangster, and Reinildo wanders round the Academy of Light in January in a sleeveless vest, as if he was back in Mozambique.
Trai Hume has continued to deliver the kind of no-nonsense, hard-as-nails performances that make his price tag the steal of the century, while Granit Xhaka patrols the midfield with the mindset of a military commander determined to deliver victory on the battlefield.
Beside him, Noah Sadiki and Habib Diarra bring an African energy, skill, enthusiasm and joy that we haven’t seen since the days of Asamoah Gyan, while Enzo Le Fée’s creativity is only matched by his never-say-die attitude to win back the ball every single time the team loses possession.
Up front, Brian Brobbey is delivering the kind of no-nonsense muscular front-man performances that the Sunderland faithful have been desperately seeking for years, shrugging off defenders like annoying flies. On the wing, Chemsdine Talbi not only grafts back defensively but has delivered the spectacular finishes that excite crowds.
Add to that the loveable Wilson Isidor, Wembley hero Eliezer Mayenda and ‘Mr Sunderland’ Luke O’Nien, and this is a group of players who deserve to be celebrated.
After years of watching the likes of Jack Rodwell and others stealing a living from the club, and giving nothing for the badge, let alone everything, this is such a refreshing change. And that is why the fact that the club has only recruited three new players in January should not be a concern.
The recruitment team have set out their stall. If you want to play for Sunderland, the first question is ‘Are you talented enough?’ If the answer to that is ‘Yes’, the next question is ‘Are you the right type of player, do you have the right mentality?’
Recruiting players who can answer ‘Yes’ to those questions is precisely why we can now spend the last third of the season worrying about how high this squad might finish in the Premier League, rather than whether we will still be in it in August.
Look around at other sides who have prioritised ability over attitude, who have put together a group of players, rather than a team. It is the same approach that allowed Leicester City to achieve the improbable, if not the impossible, by winning the Premier League a decade ago.
This is a team — the only team unbeaten at home in the Premier League — which is perfectly capable of continuing to take an average of 1.5 points per game for the rest of the season. Who knows where that might take us?
