BBC analyzes why Sunderland ranks second: defense and confrontation are both top in the Premier League
6686 Sports, October 26th. In this round of the Premier League, Sunderland defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the visiting team and rushed to second place in the Premier League standings, only 2 points behind Arsenal, the leader. The British media BBC said that such a start can no longer be described as "surprise" or "dream" - it is almost a miracle. So the question is: How did they do it?
The current 17 points equaled Sunderland's best start to the Premier League in the history of the team (1999-2000 season). Looking at the entire history of the Premier League, there are only five newly promoted teams that have scored more points in the first nine rounds - and these teams have all successfully avoided relegation.
Former Middlesbrough coach Carrick said bluntly on the BBC program: "To be honest, no one expected Sunderland to have such an amazing start. They deserve applause. They played calmly and confidently in this game. Even if there were not many dribbles, they were still very threatening. The most important thing is, They never gave up and relied on faith to win. This was a textbook away game win."
If points are a reflection of performance, then what is really surprising is: how did Sunderland quickly develop combat effectiveness despite the introduction of 15 new players? This summer, the club spent 161 million pounds to sign 15 new players, setting a historical record for signings by a newly promoted team in England.
Spending money ≠ relegation, this is an ironclad fact. But Sunderland broke the rules. They did not follow the old path of "the original team conquers the world", but decisively reorganized the entire team, even changing the goalkeeper.
Former Watford captain Troy Deeney lamented: "This is really an incredible start, and it is well deserved. Most newly promoted teams will keep the heroes who made it to the Premier League, but Sunderland were determined - they rebuilt directly and said, 'We want to survive in the Premier League.' Now? They are in second place! If someone thought this a few months ago, everyone must think he is crazy."
Such a large-scale blood change may have caused conflicts in the lounge, and problems such as dissatisfaction among the old players and difficulty in integrating new players may arise at any time. But coach Le Bris used pre-season training and strategic systems to bring everyone together.
After the game, he said: "We have clearly defined the team style in the summer training - unity, hard work, and shared pressure. Although we couldn't find the rhythm for a while when dribbling, we know how to innovate and can press high or defend low. I feel arrogant for the whole team. Whether it is a starter or a reserve player, every player Everyone made a contribution. We played diligently and played beautiful football."
Although Sunderland's average dribbling rate this season is only 42.5%, which is only higher than Crystal Palace, Everton and West Ham United in the Premier League, and is a typical "anti-counterattack" team, their defensive performance is top-notch. So far, they have only conceded 6 goals, which is the third-fewest team in the Premier League, second only to Manchester City and Arsenal.
What is even more amazing is that their confrontation winning rate is as high as 53.3%, ranking second in the league, second only to Manchester City. This means they are extremely efficient in fighting for every inch of the turf. These data show that LeBris has built a team with strict discipline, strong execution and tough style. Even if they don't have the ball, they can make it difficult for their opponents to move forward.
