BARDO ON SAFC & EUROPE
Former Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley has reflected on Sunderland's opening Europa League fixture, our summer transfer business and the start to our second season back in the top flight. We spoke via Lyllo Casino.
ALKMAAR MATCH
"It looked electric with the build up, the flares, the fans and the fireworks and that was always going to be the case. Sunderland have got an incredible following and now for them to taste Europe is just exceptional and what a start with you know with a win on the board. That can only create confidence moving forward and they've got some great fixtures to look forward to.”
PREMIER LEAGUE START
“I thought early on in the season that the load would be difficult for them to maintain. But listen, they look like, as any team should, they're taking it one game at a time. I don't think they're looking too far forward, and I think the players that they bring in, regardless if it's the Premier League, obviously the European campaign, or the League Cup in a few weeks, then obviously it looks like the strength in depth is there."
GAME BY GAME
"They're handling all the games that they've got to play in, and that's a credit to them. They look like they've got a real professionalism in and around the group. They've got a desire to go into every game believing they can win, and that's massive for any squad, to have that mindset of, ‘whoever's in front of us, we'll take them on and we'll give them a right good go.’ I mean, they've made the Stadium of Light an absolute fortress again and yeah, I can't wait to get up there to be fair and watch a game because the atmosphere there in the last eighteen months has been outstanding.”
SUMMER TRANSFERS
“Regis Le Bris knows he's got a stable squad, and I don't think he wanted to move too far away from that and disrupt what they've already achieved with their status in the Premier League and getting into Europe. But I think he's added quality to it. The load of competing on four fronts, the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup, and now Europe, is a big demand on the players. He's added real quality to the group and it looks like they've bought into what the manager wants, what the team wants, with a real understanding and drive to achieve. Like I say, it looks to me like they're taking it one game at a time and really believing in what they can do.”
INTERNATIONAL BREAK
"Momentum's key. But if you look at the back of the World Cup as well, there's been a lot of load for the players. There was only a little bit of a break, and then going straight into pre-season before the calendar starts, I think it'll work in their favour. You want momentum and you want to play games, but after the World Cup I think it's a perfect time. I think they've structured it pretty well this year in terms of doing the three weeks. I spoke to a manager early last week and we were speaking about how they'd structure teams having three weeks off, because it's not a normal situation to be in. I think the first part will basically be rest, give the players six or seven days off to get their feet up and have a bit of a break with a little tick over. Then the second week they'll build back into training, maybe with an in-house fixture just to pick that sharpness up, leading into the week of a fixture. So listen, it'll be a nice break for the boys that have been part of the World Cup and haven't found the break they've had long enough. It'll be good for them to get a refresh.”
