10 Things We Learned From Doncaster Vs. Sunderland

4. Very Similar Team To Last Season

Last night could be seen as the first 'proper' game for Sunderland. They were in acclimatised English surroundings, with the new season approaching, and the game was played as if it were a real game with a strong lineup. Pantilimon guarded the goal, the backline was made up from Van Aanholt, O'Shea, Coates, and Jones, Cattermole and Rodwell sat behind Johnson in the middle, with Defoe, Fletcher and Lens spread out up top. Barring Lens, that's the team we used for much of the run in last year. Drop Larsson in for Rodwell and that could easily be the team for Leicester, rightly or wrongly. The general consensus is that even just two more new faces could change the team. Somebody to push Defoe up front, and another to provide the creativity in a midfield containing the excellent Larsson-Cattermole duo. However, with very little transfer talk of late, the season could start before new faces are brought in.