Sunderland

Former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini says Nordi Mukiele's comment about the side becoming "arrogant" might have "come across a bit stronger than he intended" following the Black Cats' 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth.

Despite winning their opening two Europa League games, Regis le Bris' side are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and haven't recorded a league victory since beating Fulham on 30 August.

"Mukiele's had a bit of stick from certain individuals, so I think he was just speaking from the heart," Gabbiadini told BBC Radio Newcastle. "He was also speaking a foreign language, so maybe it came across a bit stronger than he intended.

"He is absolutely right, though. It is a different season. We've played a number of the top sides in our first seven games, which does make things more difficult, but we do look quite different.

"Le Bris is having problems with his wide players. It appears he doesn't know who to play. We've seen him try to rotate and make changes, while giving players rest and firing other players up at the same time.

"It isn't an easy job - and we have to remember it's a new challenge for him as well. They are all in this together and the only way to start moving forward is by continuing to stick together.

"Sometimes you do have to call each other out or kick someone up the backside. I've got no issue with that because it is part of the game."

Listen to the full conversation above or on BBC Sounds here

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We asked you what you think has been going wrong for Sunderland so far this season, with the Black Cats currently bottom of the Premier League.

Here are some of your comments:

Denise: Apart from the Bournemouth game, we've actually been playing some brilliant football. Our biggest problem has been struggling to consistently score goals and this has led to frustration and a loss of concentration.

Steven: Lack of experience in the summer transfer market and injuries haven't helped, but I'm genuinely worried we will be back in the Championship next season.

Robin: We should only have qualified for Europe if we intended to strengthen the squad. We can't cope with games every two to three days. We don't have any strikers or game-makers. The manager is showing teams in Europe how good he is when he gets the sack from Sunderland.

Stephen: Our woeful display against Bournemouth has sent us into panic mode. We've had some tough opponents and handled them well. We do struggle to create goalscoring opportunities and this unsettles us. Our defence isn't the rock it was last season and, again, this unsettles us. If we can keep our composure I believe we'll come good again.

Lucy: The problem for Sunderland right now is Chemsdine Talbi not starting. We all know that we want to play the strongest team, but our best winger is sitting on the bench. Regis le Bris knows what Talbi can do so why is he still on the bench? Yes, he was rumoured to be going, but he stayed so maybe he should possibly get game time.

Football journalist Rory Smith says Sunderland could struggle to balance European football with their Premier League campaign, warning that the club may not have the squad depth required.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club, Smith said the transition could prove difficult in their first season.

"My mate who is a Sunderland fan, when they got into Europe, one of his first thoughts was they don't have the squad for that," said Smith.

"It's really difficult making that transition for the first season."

Sunderland fan and former England captain Steph Houghton agreed that squad depth and recruitment will be key, insisting it is not just about having enough players, but bringing in the right quality."

Houghton suggested European qualification could help Sunderland attract more players to strengthen the squad but stressed that Premier League survival must come first.

"If we're in European football, staying in the Premier League is a must," she said.

Listen to the full episode now on BBC Sounds

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Sunderland fan Eleanor McCabe has been discussing what is going wrong at the Stadium of Light after another defeat in the Premier League against Bournemouth on Sunday.

"I don't think it can be pinned down to any one thing but something is not clicking at the moment," she said.

"I believe our injury crisis is caused by a lack of recruitment in the summer. You think about the players we let go, like [Eliezer] Mayenda and [Lutsharel] Geertruida, and they would have walked in to that starting XI.

"You also look at some of the attacking players we had on the bench who would have made an impact.

"I don't know what it is, but something needs to change and fast."

What do you think it is that's "not clicking" for the Black Cats so far? What needs to change?

Let us know here

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Former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett shared his full-time analysis with Nick Barnes after the Black Cats 2-0 loss at Bournemouth.

"At full time you're looking at the game and thinking what positives can Sunderland take from it? The positive for me is that it only remained 2-0, and Robin Roefs performance. We have got a problem," Bennett said.

"It's very concerning, you think about the starting XI, the shape, the intensity of the game. We can't continue, I've said this week in week out, we keep making mistakes and we keep doing it. When are we going to learn?

"You expect the two centre-backs to be big and strong, you know, hard to get by. Evanilson just bundles his way past them for the first one and he did for the second one too. We couldn't deal with it.

"You look at Kevin Danso and think is he fit? It didn't look like he was. Omar Alderete, was he fit? I mean as in to recover and get back.

"You look at the first half and we conceded early doors, second half we conceded in the first three minutes. That tells you something. That tells you we are not focused or concentrating on the game. Whatever was said at half time didn't work."

Listen to more talk around Sunderland on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Sunderland.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Malcolm: Another good team performance following on from the victory over Sturm Graz on Thursday. Evanilson led the line superbly with an assist and a goal as well as his tireless workrate. The defence looked solid, not allowing Sunderland any clear-cut chances. Got to feel for the Sunderland fans making that long journey and not seeing a performance from their team.

Mikeh: Much improved against a woeful Sunderland, but missed chances are a bit concerning. Evanilson and Marcus Tavernier were terrific. Bring on Milan!

Gary: Marco Rose, like Andoni Iraola, needs time for the team to understand his preferred style of play. It will come good for him, I am sure. Evanilson could be central to Rose's style of play. I hope he is showing signs of doing so with his goals in recent games.

J: Bournemouth are getting better but in January they need to buy at least two more defenders. The squad should have been increased before the season started to take into account possible injuries and the extra matches in Europe.

Sunderland fans

Stephen: The Bournemouth game has demonstrated the club needs a massive rethink - we are sleepwalking into a terrible season. Bournemouth, who also played on Thursday, ran rings around us and we had no answers.

Denise: We've lost games and played well. The Bournemouth game was different, we were absolute rubbish. I know a single bad performance does not define our overall skill level and every player has matches where nothing clicks, but we are consistently making the same mistakes and don't appear to be learning from them.

Kevin: The club need to decide now - European jollies or Premier League survival. Field teams accordingly. I prefer Premier League survival - we need to build on last year.

Jura: Absolutely embarrassing. We were ragged, lethargic, sloppy, disorganised. If we don't find answers soon, it's Championship football for us next season.

Chris McKenna
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Arrogant" and "not good enough".

Nordi Mukiele offered a brutally honest verdict about why Sunderland have struggled so far this season, following their impressive return to the Premier League last term.

The Black Cats defender had his say after a 2-0 defeat by Bournemouth on Sunday. It was Sunderland's fourth Premier League loss in a row and leaves them second bottom in the table.

Only those inside the club can answer Mukiele's "arrogant" claim after the Black Cats' drop-off in results and performance.

They surprised everyone last season by qualifying for the Europa League at the first time of asking after eight years away from the top flight.

"I think this game is just what we are looking [like] from the beginning of the season," Mukiele told Sky Sports. "We are not good enough.

"Why? I don't know. Maybe because we became arrogant, this is what I think."

Sunderland head coach Regis le Bris was not quite as damning but still disappointed.

"We were below the level, it's really clear. It's hard to take, hard to digest," Le Bris told Sky Sports.

"It's very painful because we were not Sunderland and it's not acceptable."

After seven games last season, Sunderland had 11 points and were ninth in the table having won three, drawn two and lost two.

At the same point this term, they have four points with one win, a draw and five defeats.

"We won't find excuses," said Le Bris. "We have a busy schedule. We want to embrace the challenge, but the position at the minute is not good."

Sunderland's league form so far points to a relegation battle, but in Europe they have a 100% record after wins over Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and second-tier Portuguese outfit Torreense.

They have now lost both games in the immediate aftermath of their Europa League outings, although one of those was an eight-goal thriller against unbeaten league leaders Manchester City.

Read more on Sunderland's performance here

Sunderland boss Regis le Bris, speaking to Sky Sports: "Tough game, disappointing game, really clear.

"We were below the level, it's really clear. It's hard to take, hard to digest. It's very painful because we were not Sunderland and it's not acceptable."

On what he wants to see from his team: "Reaction. We will have ups and downs in the season, this one is a big down. I'm very disappointed for the fans. They were with us until the last minute, but they were not on the pitch, which is a big problem in the Premier League because the opponent is strong. They are relentless. If you make mistakes, they will seize them, and it was the case today."

On whether he's worried: "To be fair, I'm always worried because it's my job to find the little problems and try to help the players to go higher. Today the job will be massive because it was a bad game. We won't find excuses. We'll keep working hard, stay humble. We know our position in this league. We have a busy schedule. We want to embrace the challenge, but the position at the minute is not good.

"We were clear in the dressing room. The players know that they were not at the level. I am with them 100 per cent. From that point, we want to show energy, we want to show belief, we want to show more from the team like Sunderland used to be and today wasn't the case."

Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele, speaking to Sky Sports: "I think this game is just what we are looking [like] from the beginning of the season, to be honest with you. We are not good enough. If we deserve to be where we are today, definitely.

On why Sunderland are not good enough: "I don't know. Maybe because we became arrogant, this is what I think. It's just the beginning, football is like this. You can accept and just stand up and go back to work. If I believe we can go back to the top again, yeah, I believe this.

"It depends about what we really want, and this starts in training because we don't do enough, and after you can see it on the pitch. You cannot lie about football and today, I don't want to say we didn't want to win this game, but it didn't look like we want something.

"We just have to work hard to be back where we were like last season because, right now, this is not us, this is not Sunderland and I just think we have to sit and look inside the mirror, me first, I am trying to get better.

"It is difficult at the moment. I believe if you work hard in training, the game is going to be the same, but today was not a good game for us, and we just have to fight to be better for the next."

Did you know?

• Sunderland have lost each of their last four Premier League games, their longest losing run in the competition since a five-match stint in December 2015 under Sam Allardyce.

• This season in the Premier League, no side has committed more errors leading to goals than Sunderland (5), with Omar Alderete today becoming just the third player to commit multiple this season, alongside teammate Kevin Danso and Hull's Konstantinos Tzolakis.

Listen to more from Le Bris on BBC Sounds and listen to Robin Roefs' reaction below or on BBC Sounds

Chris McKenna
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Is this second season syndrome or are Sunderland struggling to deal with juggling European football and domestic duties?

They have now lost both their league games on the weekend after dates on the continent in the Europa League, albeit the previous one was an eight-goal thriller against league leaders Manchester City.

They have also had some tough fixtures so far including that trip to City as they have also faced champions Arsenal and in-form Brighton.

Yet after seven games last season as a newly-promoted side they had 11 points and at the same stage this term they have just four.

They had just three shots across the whole game and never tested Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic while the Cherries should have scored more from their 29 attempts.

This defeat may be put down to Kevin Danso's early errors and a gift of a second goal but head coach Regis Le Bris will hope last season's impressive form soon returns as they have now lost five games already and are struggling.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Sunderland's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Bournemouth v Sunderland

• Brighton v Crystal Palace - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Leeds United v Manchester United - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Nottingham Forest v Arsenal (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 BST unless stated.

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Both these teams play in Europe on Thursday but neither of them are in great form.

Sunderland have lost three in a row, while Bournemouth have not won in the league so far this season.

The Cherries have been a team who have got in front but let things slip a few times this season but, against Chelsea, they went 2-0 down right from kick-off, then did it again with their third goal inside the first few seconds of the second half.

Bournemouth boss Marco Rose had probably told his players "don't do anything stupid" at the break, so he must have been absolutely livid at that.

They really need a positive result here but so do Sunderland. It's going to be close, and I can't pick a winner.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Paul Birch
BBC Sport journalist

After successful Thursday night exploits in Europe, Bournemouth and Sunderland face off hoping to find some domestic form after both making indifferent starts to the season. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes going into Sunday's fixture.

"Three points after six games. We need a reaction, we need a turnaround, quite soon," Bournemouth's head coach Marco Rose said after their 5-1 loss at Chelsea.

If only the Cherries could channel their early form in Europe into the bread and butter of the Premier League. Thursday's historic victory over Sturm Graz made them the first English team to win their first two matches in a major European competition since Bolton Wanderers in the 2005-06 Uefa Cup.

The damaging defeat by Chelsea marked the first time they had lost consecutive league games since last December and stretched their winless start to the season to six matches.

Only in 1994-95 in the third tier (eight games) and the 2023-24 top-flight season (nine games) have they endured a longer winless start to a league campaign.

Such is the quirk of statistics that Bournemouth actually had a greater xG of 1.46 compared to Chelsea's 1.08 yet were still beaten 5-1 at Stamford Bridge.

They've shipped a joint top-flight high of 13 goals this season despite facing the joint lowest amount of shots. It the fewest shots faced in the opening six games of a Premier League season without recording a win since records were kept in 2003-04.

With just three draws to show for their exploits this season they are actually eight points worse off than they were at this stage 12 months ago, the joint most of any club along with fellow winless side Tottenham.

With a run of nine games in 29 days under way Rose, is going to need to pick up league wins fast.

After tricky run, Sunderland looking to pick up points

Like opponents Bournemouth, Sunderland have had a tricky start to their domestic campaign but have also picked up two morale-boosting victories in Europe.

One win from their opening six top-flight matches means they sit just one place above the Cherries in 17th, and they are seven points down on the tally of 11 they had at the same stage of last season.

Three successive league defeats marks their joint worst run under head coach Regis le Bris. Heavy mitigation does come from the fact that those matches have pitted them against the top three sides in the table, but they will be keen to kick the losing habit.

The Black Cats will also need to find a way of shutting up shop away from home given they have now gone nine games on the road without a clean sheet.

Like Bournemouth they have begun a punishing run of nine games in less than a month as their European commitments begin to bite.

The good news is that they boast a great record against Sunday's opponents having only lost two of their 12 encounters with the Cherries.

Sunderland have also won on four out of their six visits to Bournemouth, with their only defeat there coming in the top flight back in 2015.

Prior to Sunderland's last-gasp Europa League win at Portuguese second-tier side Torreense, Black Cats boss Regis le Bris said "progress is never a straight line" as he looks to juggle his team's season alongside European football.

The Wearside club have picked up four points from a possible 18 and sit one point outside the bottom three in the Premier League as they prepare to face Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium on Sunday (14:00 BST)

"Winning is a process. I always tell the players that it's long, and you can have rewards early, but sometimes that's not the case," he told club media.

"So resilience, consistency, hard work - these are the values of the club. We are well connected because we understand what we have to do."

In their return to the top flight last season, Sunderland took 11 points from their opening six games.

"You learn every day and we were expected to have a tough start to the season. It's the case, playing against Manchester City, Arsenal, Brighton, Brentford away.

"When you get through difficult experiences and you analyse deeply what was useful from those experiences, I think you can get better quickly and rewards will come."

Similar to Sunderland, Bournemouth have also struggled for form after an emphatic 2025-26 campaign.

Le Bris said managing the load of the players is a "difficult topic" but his side "earned" the right to play in Europe this season.

"We enjoy being in that position. It's demanding, but it's clearly what we want to do," he added.

Listen to full commentary of Bournemouth and Sunderland on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 and BBC Sounds on Sunday

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

We asked for your thoughts after Sunderland's Europa League win at Torreense on Thursday.

Here are some of your comments:

Maxi: We made hard work of it. Huffed and puffed, but our crossing remains poor. The wingers need to be more incisive. But once we made the substitutions, it was only a matter of time. Need Brian Brobbey back for Bournemouth, which is a 'must not lose' game.

Richard: Two great goals in the game. Maximum points from the first two games. Great start to the European adventure!

Chris: Pleased for Luke O'Nien. I doubt he could have imagined playing at this level when we were in the third tier. However, it all looked a bit disjointed.

Wilf: Considering the wholesale changes and the well-drilled opposition, this was a performance of resilience and determination. Last season's 'til the end spirit seems to be back.

Tony: These young players have loads of potential, but they are rusty and need games. If they aren't playing in the first team, then why aren't they playing under-21s? Still, a win is a win! On we go!

Steve: Playing in our first European away game in over 50 years against a virtually unheard of Portuguese team? Do it the Sunderland way and score a stoppage-time winner, of course! Boy, do I love my club - great atmosphere in the stands.

Hit play above to hear more reaction from Sunderland fans or listen on BBC Sounds here

Regis Le Bris spoke after Sunderland's victory against Torreense: "Back in Europe, 53 years later, in Portugal especially, and winning this game just at the end is really special.

"It's a symbol I think and important for many reasons, the first one is for the club and our fans, they were fantastic once again.

"Also we are growing up and we need experiences. I think the team showed this evening this belief until the end, which is really important for us. We showed again that we were in this mindset."

On Sadiki: "That's important for him to step up, to add this layer in his game because he has the ability to dribble, to shoot, to make key passes. Now it's the next layer, so it's a starting point I hope."

Did you know?

Luke O'Nien tonight became the first player since 2004-05 to make 100+ appearances in each of the Championship (135), League One (149) and League Two (101) before then going to play a match in major European competition for an English club.

Sunderland matchwinner Noah Sadiki spoke to Uefa after victory against Torreense: "I'm really happy for the team because we showed great mentality today. We were down but we came back. That's what we needed to do, and now we focus on the next game."

On his goal: "Granit Xhaka told me to shoot. I didn't think twice. I was waiting for it. I'm really happy"

On Torreense: "They made it really difficult for us, even though people considered us favourites before the game. I'm really happy for them because they showed what it means to play in the Europa League, even though they're in the second division. You don't have to be scared of the big teams. So they played really well, but unfortunately for them, we won."

Listen to more from Sadiki above or on BBC Sounds and listen to reaction from Timur Tutyerov below or on BBC Sounds