Tony Mowbray anticipates a challenging matchup with the Canaries.
Following three straight losses, Sunderland has had a difficult run of late in the Championship. Tony Mowbray’s team will take on Norwich City at home this coming weekend.
The Black Cats’ most recent loss, a 2-1 loss away to Stoke after a 4-0 loss in the North East Derby against Middlesbrough before the October international break, raised some red flags, but they also had some encouraging results as they were defeated by a Leicester City team that won for the eighth time in a row on Tuesday.
Sunderland’s play at the King Power Stadium was led by players such as Jack Clarke and Jobe Bellingham, the latter of whom came closest to negating James Justin’s header in the 12th minute. The visitors also had a penalty shout waved away when Dan Neil was brought down by Wout Faes shortly before halftime.
After the game, Mowbray didn’t hesitate to acknowledge that his opponent was a “Premier League team”.
“I’m only interested in us coming and giving a good account of ourselves and testing ourselves against a Premier League outfit, and they will be a Premier League outfit again next season.”
In the space of a week, Sunderland has dropped from fourth to tenth place following the three losses, but there is currently no real reason for alarm as Leeds United, in third place, is only nine points ahead of Huddersfield Town, who hold the final position above the relegation zone.
Tony Mowbray expecting tough test against Norwich City
The match on Saturday afternoon against Norwich is a great chance for two teams that have been struggling lately. The Canaries have lost their last two games at Carrow Road to Middlesbrough and Leeds United.
The only win in the team’s previous five games came against Birmingham 2-0 on September 30. Other than that, David Wagner’s team hasn’t triumphed away from home since defeating Huddersfield 4-0 on August 26.
Nevertheless, the 59-year-old Sunderland manager is aware of the dangers presented by a team with extensive Championship experience and a manager who understands what it takes to succeed at this level.
“Duffy, Gibson, and McLean are just a few of the team’s many experienced players,” he stated, as reported by the Sunderland Echo.
“They have players from throughout the world and have recently participated in the Premier League. It’s going to be difficult for us because they also have a coach who was promoted out of this league previously. Before I arrived last year, the game was played in Norwich. They prevailed 1-0. We anticipate a very difficult match.
Because his team continues to have the youngest average ages per starting XI in the division (according to Transfermarkt), the Championship’s unique nature has given the seasoned manager cause for both caution and optimism.
“Although I am aware that this is the Championship and we could lose football games, I sit here feeling confident that we can win anywhere. We’re teaching our inexperienced football players how to play, including when to play quickly and slowly, when to be straightforward, and when to take chances and invite teams to join us. They either pick it up quickly and we gel as a team, or we stumble a little along the way.
How will Sunderland vs Norwich City play out?
There is a lot of intrigue surrounding this matchup at the Stadium of Light because both teams need to get back to their previous levels before getting into a slump as the holidays approach.
Although there are technically gifted forwards on both teams, this game will be decided in the midfield by crucial battles involving players like Neil and McLean. The final score may be close no matter what happens.
