Sunderland fans in the Tavern are a happy bunch right now and thanks to the win over Crystal Palace, things are looking far brighter for the Premier League strugglers!
The Black Cats had been on a wretched run of form of late though, thanks to the demolition of the Eagles at Selhurst Park last weekend, things are looking a lot more optimistic for David Moyes’ side going forward.
So, with a tough-looking fixture against Southampton coming up this Saturday, how should Moyes go about lining up his troops in front of the Stadium of Light faithful?
Should he pick the same team that tanked lowly Palace, or change it up and hope the Saints have an off day? There’s plenty of opinion knocking around here in the pub and even the landlord has chipped in with his personal XI that he’d select for the game!
So, with that in mind, here’s our Sunderland XI that we think will continue their winning streak with victory over the Saints this weekend…
GK: Vito Mannone
With young Jordan Pickford sidelined through injury, responsibility has fallen on the shoulders of Vito Mannone to ensure things stay tight between the Sunderland sticks.
It’s easier said than done when your vying to stay in the division but the clean sheet against Palace will give him confidence going into this weekend’s game.
CB: Jason Denayer
It’s been a long time in the waiting but we’re finally seeing some good end product from Jason Denayer in a Sunderland strip.
Fans here in the pub had long been asking whether he was the man to sure up a leaky Black Cats defence, but after an astute performance against Palace, they’ve got new-found faith in the centre-back.
CB: John O’Shea
Former Manchester United man John O’Shea might be coming towards the end of his career these days, but he’s a calm and collected player to have at the heart of the defence.
He’s got bags of experience at this level and is a real leader in a Sunderland squad who need some authority, especially in defence.
CB: Lamine Kone
Lamine Kone was Sunderland’s man-of-the-match for the game against Crystal Palace and his impressive performance will give the Black Cats some real hope moving forward this season.
He won every header in his battle against Christian Benteke and he’ll be looking to take that good form into the game with Southampton this weekend.
RM: Billy Jones
Billy Jones was moved forward into a five-man midfielder which completely out-fought Palace last weekend and it’s something Moyes should stick with against Southampton.
His team have been overrun in midfield on numerous occasions this season and really sureing up for the visit of Southampton is important.
CM: Didier Ndong
Club record signing Didier Ndong has finally begun to show what he can bring to this Sunderland side and their supporters here in the Tavern are delighted to see some promise at last.
His goal-of-the-season contender against the Eagles was a great way to really kick-start his career but Black Cats will want to see even more going forward.
CM: Darron Gibson
Darron Gibson came on to replace Jack Rodwell in the clash at Selhurst Park and he looks set to keep his place in the side following his transfer from Everton.
The Republic of Ireland international brings plenty of ability to the middle-of-the-park for Moyes’ team and his wicked ability to score from range could be handy too.
CM: Seb Larsson
Seb Larrson is the workhorse in this Sunderland team and whilst he might not offer some of the end product some of his teammates do moving forward, he brings plenty of fight to the midfield.
His ability from set-pieces is second to none and with some serious height in the backline of the Sunderland side, having him in the XI is always a good thing.
LM: Bryan Oviedo
Bryan Oviedo was a great bit of business by the cash-strapped Black Cats and he brought some real quality to the Sunderland XI last weekend.
He was up and down the wing like a real trooper and Sunderland fans will be delighted to finally have someone freshening up the team going forward.
ST: Jermain Defoe
Jermain Defoe is the biggest player in this Sunderland XI by a country mile and without his goals, David Moyes’ side would be in an extremely wretched position indeed.
He bagged two goals against Palace last time out and he’ll be hoping to get on the scoresheet once again this weekend too. His goals will undoubtedly be the key to Sunderland’s survival come the end of the campaign.
ST: Adnan Januzaj/h3>
Adnan Januzaj has been on the fringes of this Sunderland side for some time now but we saw glimpses of the player David Moyes brought into the United first-team all those years ago.
The Belgian has masses of potential, though at times, unlocking that has been tricky. Still, he has a big part to play in this relegation battle and has the quality Sunderland need to survive.
