How Sunderland AFC can avoid Premier League nightmare in 3 steps | OneFootball

Sunderland need to do these three things if they want to avoid the drop next season should they make it to the Premier League.

Sunderland AFC may have endured a dire end to their season, but they will still have ambitions of securing promotion via the play-offs.

For much of the campaign, the Black Cats were part of a group of four vying for automatic promotion, but while Leeds United, Burnley, and Sheffield United pulled away, Regis Le Bris’ side kept dropping points.

This has resulted in a sluggish end to the season, and Sunderland will need to regroup ahead of the play-offs if they are to emerge with a genuine chance of Premier League football.

If they do secure an incredible return to the top flight, it will be a difficult step-up for the Black Cats, with any promoted side facing a 60% chance of relegation, according to The i Paper's statisticians. This comes amid a recent trend of promoted sides suffering immediate relegation, with the last six teams to go up all dropping straight back into the second tier.

Avoiding that fate will be no easy task, but here at Football League World, we’ve identified three ways Sunderland could boost their chances of Premier League survival - should they clinch promotion.

Sunderland must sign experienced Premier League players

The first and arguably most important thing Sunderland have to do is sign Premier League experience.

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman have prioritised signing young, up-and-coming talent since their arrival, but that simply won’t cut it in the top flight. With youth comes the risk of inconsistency and a lack of know-how when it comes to seeing out tight matches.

Last summer, we saw Ipswich Town spend heavily - but largely on players with potential rather than those equipped for a relegation scrap. In the end, it cost them. Had their net spend of £107.6 million (the second-highest figure in the division) been directed towards more battle-hardened additions, they might have stood a better chance of survival.

For the Black Cats, there are more than enough examples to go off and if they can blend the best players in their squad with the right additions, then they may just finish outside the bottom three.

If they can achieve that, they can always return to their youthful recruitment strategy once they've found their feet in the top flight.

Regis Le Bris must employ tactical flexibility

In the Championship, Sunderland are well accustomed to controlling games - both in and out of possession - but if they step up to the top flight, Le Bris will need to show greater tactical flexibility.

The Black Cats will go into most matches as underdogs, and while winning is always the objective, picking up points against superior opposition will be crucial to their survival hopes.

At the other end of the spectrum, Sunderland must also be deliberate in how they approach games against more beatable opposition. Against the so-called 'lesser teams', Le Bris must look to impose his side’s game and ensure that when facing potential relegation rivals, it’s the Black Cats who come away with all three points.

This season, we've seen the damaging consequences of rigidly sticking to a system at Southampton. The Saints’ original possession-based approach under Russell Martin often left them exposed, and although new head coach Ivan Juric attempted to shift the style, by that point it was too deeply ingrained. As a result, Southampton now risk going down as one of the worst sides in Premier League history.

The former Lorient manager is no doubt smart enough to adapt his demands to the Premier League, and he appears the ideal coach to help them push away from relegation should they make it.

Make the Stadium of Light a fortress

Sunderland boast one of the largest stadiums in England for good reason - their fanbase, among the most passionate in the country, will be crucial in the Premier League.

First and foremost, the fans’ role is to provide that vital '12th man' during the play-offs, but if they can help get the team there, their job will become even more important.

They'll need their stadium to become a daunting place for visiting teams, ensuring it’s never an easy game - especially for those battling at the top of the division.

Before their recent disappointing home defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City, they had lost just once at the Stadium of Light all season. If they can replicate, or even come close to, that form next year, it could give them a genuine chance of survival.

If Sunderland are to feature in the Premier League in the 2025-26 season, these three factors will be crucial if they are to secure survival.