The break has provided the manager with an opportunity to work with players who are not away with their countries.
Sunderland forward Jermain Defoe believes that new manager David Moyes needs time to gel his side together after a very busy summer in the transfer market.
There have been plenty of changes at the Stadium of Light this summer, including in the manager’s hot seat, but Defoe believes the early international break can be used to the manager’s advantage.
The forward is quoted in the Sunderland Echo, saying: “For a manager, especially one who has just come into a club, the international break is perfect.
“It gives him the time to work with the team for two weeks on the training ground.
“It is not easy, to be honest, to come into a football club and change everything overnight, that never happens. It doesn’t matter how good the players are.”
There could be some work for Moyes to do on the training ground in order for him to get his message across before the resumption of the domestic season next weekend.
It is a big game for Moyes in particular when they get going again as the Black Cats host his old club Everton at the Stadium of Light.
He has had many selection issues across the three games in the season so far, which has seen Sunderland pick up a solitary point from their most recent outing at St Mary’s against Southampton.
There have been several new faces that arrived in the last week of the transfer window who will also need integrating into the squad, so the short break could be a blessing in that sense.
One thing is for sure, Sunderland are going to need their prolific goalscorer firing while Moyes starts to get the side playing the way he wants consistently. Goals from Defoe can ensure that the transition goes as smoothly as possible.
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