At the start of October, it appeared that Sunderland could become mainstays in the top six and promotion race, a result of five wins from six games.
However, either side of the international break, Tony Mowbray’s team have suffered three defeats in succession, scoring just the one goal.
Some of that should be put into context, with Sunderland down to 10 men for more than half the game against Middlesbrough and a 1-0 defeat being posted at leaders Leicester City.
Nevertheless, it has resulted in the Black Cats dropping out of the playoff spots, albeit by just the one point.
That is despite Sunderland having already suffered three defeats in six matches at the Stadium of Light, a record which must improve if they wish to ease the pressure on delivering on their travels.
Norwich are another team that generally impressed earlier in the season, only for David Wagner’s side to quickly fall away and lose all momentum.
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Four wins in six games has been followed by five defeats in seven outings, with the Canaries losing by narrow margins to Leeds United and Middlesbrough at Carrow Road since the international break.
Wagner has also witnessed his team concede as many as 15 goals in their six fixtures away from home, a total of five points being accumulated from those fixtures.
Still just three points adrift of the playoff places, Wagner or the club’s board will not over-react, yet there will be an understanding that they need to get back on track as soon as possible now that they are just three points above 21st position.
