Premier League 2013/14: 5 Potential Underachievers
2. Sunderland
Okay, the bottom of this article may make it seem like this won't be an underachievement at all but hear me out. With the arrival of Paulo Di Canio, Sunderland started relatively well. After a close loss to Chelsea, Di Canio went on to beat Newcastle and Everton and things were looking up for The Black Cats. After this, Sunderland drew twice and lost twice, including an embarrassing 6-1 loss at the hands of Aston Villa. This poor form that the Tyneside outfit ended the season with suggests that another season full of struggle may be on the cards. However, they have managed to do well in the transfer market thusfar with the signings of Juventus midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini and US international Jozy Altidore amongst others. Because of this, several media outlets and pundits predict that a solid season could be in store for The Black Cats, with one particular report claiming they could finish as high as 11th. I recently read that in each of the last four seasons, the side who finish 17th go on to be relegated the following campaign. I don't believe this is the fate of Sunderland, however, but another 17th finish could be on the cards. Despite an influx of talent coming in, the sale of Simon Mignolet is a massive blow especially in comparison to their replacement 'keeper, ex-Arsenal third choice Vito Mannone. People seem to mistake Paulo Di Canio for a super experienced manager who has spent seasons in top-flight management, yet his only stint outside of his current one was a 21-month spell at League One side Swindon Town. Paulo has passion, an eye for talent and connections with top players due to his famous personality, yet the lack of experience in the top tier could be the key for Sunderland's struggles in the next campaign. In conjunction with this, losing the likes of Mignolet, Cattermole and McClean who have each had decent spells at the club, and replacing them with players from different sections of the world could result in the same problem which costed QPR their Premier League status. Position 2012/13: 17th Predicted position 2013/14: 17th
