Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat may have to live up to his reputation as ‘the general’ if he is to get Sunderland away from their regular spot in the relegation zone. Two goals from Bournemouth in the opening 10 minutes set the Wearsiders on course for their fourth defeat out of their opening six games.
Sunderland improved slightly and created chances of their own after the interval but Advocaat took no consolation from that.
“By then the game was already played,”
The Dutchman said, who also saw stand-in skipper Younes Kaboul sent off 15 minutes from time for a second bookable offence.
“I was very angry with the way we started again. We knew that after five games with only two points, we had a chance to do something here. But Bournemouth understood that better than us.
“We started playing at 2-0 down, but by then it was too late. I was very, very angry with the players, because it is not the first time [they have started poorly].”
Bournemouth were easily the better side in the first half, but Sunderland started the second period on the front foot and had a Jeremain Lens goal shortly after the interval not been wrongly chalked off for offside, it may have made for an interesting final half hour.
Advocaat said: “Of course, it changed the game. We needed a bit of luck on that.
“But if you start the game the way we did, you are heading for defeat.”
Advocaat made a point of giving credit to newly-promoted Bournemouth for the way they played, but made no attempt to hide his disappointment with his own players.
“I have all respect to Bournemouth for winning this game, but if you look at the teamsheet and see the names, we have to do more than we did today,” he said.
“All respect to Bournemouth for winning and what they do and what they have done in the past, but we don’t need to lose a game like this, in my opinion. But we did.
“Bournemouth are passionate and we knew that. That is one of their strengths, and also they have skill too.
“But the way we gave the goals away at this level, I’m sorry, that’s not possible.”
Advocaat has promised a total rethink in an effort to stop the rot, looking at every aspect the club’s preparation, including his own.
He said: “I will think about it myself, the meeting, the training, the wrong line-up – everything.
“I will discuss everything with the staff.
“But I have also told them [the players] they have to face it as well because what we bring and what they bring is different.
“We thought last week [against Spurs], we were coming step by step the way I wanted to play football.
“John O’Shea [who missed out through illness at Bournemouth] and Kaboul did really well against a really good side in Spurs.
“But today was not good enough.”
Sunderland are back at the foot of the table on goal difference and have yet to win a league game this season, but the Dutchman thinks the Black Cats will still stay up this season.
“We cannot keep saying there are still 32 games to go,” Advocaat said.
“If you have played six games and you have only two points, that is not good.”
Comments.
Loading comments…