David Moyes will be looking for Sunderland’s first win of the campaign when his side travel to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham Hotspur, a team on the back of a midweek Champions League defeat to french side Monaco.
We at ReadSunderland look to get a better understanding of the task in hand therefore we talked to reporter Stuart Woodrow of ReadTottenham about Sunderland’s chances, scoreline predictions and where he feels both sides may end up at the end of the season.
What key battles can you see that will ultimately affect the course of the game?
SW: Unfortunately for Sunderland, I think this game is going to come down to whether or not Sunderland’s defence can contain our attacking midfielders and whichever striker Pochettino chooses to go with. Apart from Lamine Kone, the Sunderland defence is a little suspect and I suspect some joy could be had from the three behind our striker. Of course the choice of strikers is an interesting one. Do we go for Janssen who is still settling into the league or Kane who isn’t firing on all cylinders yet?
What weakness’s do Spurs have that Sunderland should look to exploit?
SW: Our full backs push up a lot and if Sunderland can get Adnan Januzaj in behind, then he’ll have a fair bit of space to try to do damage. We’ve been hurt in the past when the opposition push up on our defence and don’t give them the time to play out. Fortunately I don’t think Sunderland have the personnel to do that.
What are Tottenham’s strengths that Sunderland should be wary of?
SW: Tottenham’s speed playing on the break can unsettle teams, it certainly did against Stoke last weekend. Secondly our centre back pairing is one of the best in the league and should give Sunderland’s attack a hard time.
How do you see the match planning out?
SW: As a home fixture, I’d let Sunderland off with a solid 2-0 away defeat. let’s go for a Kyle Walker opener and Janssen scoring his first league goal in the second half.
David Moyes is a good manager and given the time he’ll get Sunderland up the league but Tottenham have put together an exciting young side and when things click they’re difficult to handle.
Dembele could be back for his first start of the season and Spurs are a better side with him in the team.
How has your season started and are you happy with what you are seeing?
SW: We’ve started better than last season but we’ve not really got into gear yet. I think certain players had a short preseason and aren’t quite there yet. The new additions look solid and although I would liked to have seen a play-maker come in, we can’t have everything on our budget.
Where do you see both sides finishing come the end of the season?
SW: I’d take any of the Champions League spots right now but I think we’ll end up in third. Our settled side has to give us some kind of edge. Sunderland will improve as the season goes on and I reckon they could end up in 14th position.
Is there any fringe or youth players within the spurs ranks that could be an asset for Sunderland?SW: Any fringe players that would/could have moved have all been sold. If we didn’t need him, then Cameron Carter-Vickers would have given you extra depth at centre back and could even have been a starter.
Do you believe that any Sunderland player could get into the spurs side?
SW: I like the look of Watmore, he looks like a player that understands the game going on around him. He wouldn’t be in the starting XI but he might make a useful sub.
Former Spurs striker Jermain Defoe is loved by Sunderland fans, what is yours and the Spurs fans perception of Defoe now? Should he have gotten an England European call up, and how was his time with Spurs?
SW: Defoe isn’t quite as quick as he used to be, so maybe he can no longer dart into those offside positions that he seemed to love when he was at Spurs. He was unfortunate that he always seemed to be in contention with other players for his spot when he was at Spurs. Although he gave us some great displays (5 goals against Wigan), he won’t go down as one of our best ever strikers.
He certainly should have gone to some previous international tournaments, most notably 2006 when Theo Walcott was taken ahead of him. I think England took too many players of the same type last summer and although he does add experience, I don’t think he would have offered any different alternatives during the summer.
Do you have any fond memories of previous clashes between Sunderland and Tottenham?
SW: The big wins are always fun, last season’s 4-1 victory was particularly nice as we had to come from behind. We haven’t lost to Sunderland in the league since 2010. So there have been a few good memories since then.
