Newly promoted Sunderland put West Ham to the sword in the competitive opening Premier League week fixture in a fitting announcement for their return to the Premier League. The score was Sunderland 3-0 West Ham. Here are some key takeaways.
Sunderland could very well stay in the Premier Leauge. Wonderkid’s Premier League predictions have already been published, but Sunderland’s reinforcement made them the prime candidate out of the three promoted sides to stay in the Premier League in principle. Their performance today definitely backed up the hype surrounding them.
West Ham could be in big trouble this season. West Ham sold key player Mohamed Kudus and didn’t reinforce spectacularly compared to other Premier League sides. Some sides will only improve off the last campaign but it seems like, based off their performance at Sunderland, that they could be regressing and entering dangerous territory; the relegation battle.
Sunderland were certainly affected by the excited home crowd. The atmosphere of opening day back in the Premier League after almost 10 years paired with a realistic-to-beat opponent in West Ham paired for an electric first match for Sunderland. This circumstnace won’t be present in every game and as they go away from home and the novelty wears off, they could face increased hardship.
West Ham could use some more transfers. It’s unlikely West Ham dive back into the market for some more talent, but they could do with some more players in the attack. Often it felt as if Bowen was largely on an island in terms of attack. They have options at striker and attacking midfield, but perhaps a winger could help West Ham be more confident in attacking play.
The relegation battle will be riveting. The aggressive approach from the newly promoted teams, especially from Sunderland, will definitely make for a hugely contested relegation battle with a plethora of teams likely to compete in it. It won’t be as easy as last season, for the established Premier League sides, to stay up in this campaign.