Sunderland’s German midfielder Jan Kirchhoff has expressed his delight in his favoured midfield role and has told Black Cats fans that the best is yet to come. Kirchhoff has been a revelation on Wearside since his £750,000 move from Bayern Munich in January and the German is relishing his role at Sunderland. Kirchhoff told the Sunderland Echo:
“Most people, when they see me, think I’m a defender because I’m so tall. But all my life, I’ve played in midfield, especially as a youth. I enjoy that role because I like to have the ball. I’m a defensive midfield player and I’m trying to play that role as best I can.”
“There’s still more to come and make my game even better, even in terms of fitness, because there are times when I have to slow down because I’m not fit enough for the next action.”
Despite Kirchhoff’s impressive performances, Sunderland still find themselves deep in the relegation battle following a tough run of fixtures. However, the German is defiant and believes there is enough ability in the squad to steer clear of the relegation zone in the coming weeks.
“We’re in a bad situation; struggling and down in the bottom three. The only way to get out of it is to keep our intensity and fight in every game to stay in the Premier League. But I think we’re in good shape right now. I think we’ll get results from our performances. Maybe we just need to be a little bit more lucky on Tuesday.”
With just eleven games to go till the end of the season, Kirchhoff and company will need to maintain a high level of performance and intensity if they are to escape the relegation zone. Sam Allardyce is targeting 38 points at the end of the season, meaning the Black Cats will need 15 points from 11 games, something that appears a tough task for a team that has just managed 23 points since August.
