Bouncing Back: Sunderland’s Mental Strength Shines

Having the ability to bounce back quickly from defeats is a huge component of a good football team. Sunderland have lost just five out of 22 matches this season, and after every one, we’ve done exactly that.

Brentford was a heavy defeat by anyone’s standards, but there were plenty of caveats, with the main one being that we were still without half a dozen players at the end of our toughest run of the season. Less than two weeks later, we’ve won an FA Cup tie away from home and then beat the FA Cup holders 2-1 at the SoL.

Making sure not to go on a poor run is so important, and for Sunderland to be over halfway through the season and yet to even lose back-to-back games is a testament to the hard work that has been going on.

Between our last two defeats, both 3-0 at Man City and then Brentford, Sunderland went unbeaten for five games. Compare this to Burnley, for example, who won back-to-back games in October and haven’t won since. A run of 13 matches without a win has resigned many Burnley fans to relegation already, and we’re barely halfway through January.

We had our toughest spell of the season during December and the start of January, and we lost two out of eight games. With the way we react to defeats, it’s not much of a surprise that we come back strong and get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

Crystal Palace are an example of how when the winning feeling goes, it can be so hard to bring it back. With their 2-1 loss at the SoL, they are now 10 games without a win in all competitions. They went from winning the FA Cup to being knocked out by sixth-tier Macclesfield Town six months later, not to mention the departure of key players and a sort of civil war that looks to be starting between the manager and owner.

When the rot sets in, it can be fatal, as we know from our last stint in the top flight. We’re a decade on from that David Moyes/Ellis Short debacle, but in more ways than one, the gap is more like light-years. The squads of 2009 to 2016 could have only dreamed of having the mental toughness of the class of 2025-26, and we’re all lucky for this.

We have a squad with plenty of character, skill, and mental toughness. We have some players who are the best we’ve ever had to play in their position, and honestly, I fully believe we’ll only keep getting a better quality of footballer, maybe not in this transfer window, but certainly in the summer.

The game against Crystal Palace wasn’t a must-win, but after a run without getting three points (again, understandable considering a weekend squad), it felt important to get a win to try and start solidifying our chances of a top-half finish.

With games coming up against two of the three currently in the relegation zone, we have a good chance to go on a run, but both West Ham and Burnley picked up good results. This shows we can’t get complacent, not that we ever do with Régis Le Bris and Granit Xhaka involved with the club.

Another win after a defeat and three more points from losing positions is yet more evidence of a team full of spirit, and Saturday was another brilliant chapter in a fantastic season for SAFC.