Sunderland are bottom of the Premier League with just two points from their opening 10 games.
Sunderland striker Jermain Defoe has suggested the side needs a bit of luck after recording the worst ever start to a season in the Premier League era, the Sunderland Echo reports, but he believes the side can take inspiration from must-win games from last season.
The Black Cats have picked up just two points from their opening 10 games, leaving them bottom of the Premier League and seven points from safety.
Defoe is quoted in the Sunderland Echo, saying: “Villa last season was must-win, Norwich away. We managed to do it when we needed to.
“It is a new season. You can’t look to the past, you have to look to the future and improve. I just feel that little bit of luck, a few times last season we got a bit of luck.
“We need that. Then hopefully it can give these fans something to cheer about.”
While they may feel down on their luck at the bottom of the table, Sunderland can make their own luck by not being the masters of their own downfall.
They need to find ways to tighten up at the back and stay focused, while finding different ways to get the better of their opponents as their attack has been toothless in recent weeks.
There may be a degree of bad luck in their run of results – the late defeat to West Ham United as one example – but there have been times when they just need to be better. Throwing away a two-goal lead at home to Crystal Palace cannot be put down to bad luck.
Defoe seems to be Sunderland’s only reliable attacking threat at the moment, and he is right to point to other fixtures from the past to suggest the side is capable of winning the games they need to win. There are a couple of them coming up in the near future, but some have already passed them by.
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