Marco Gabbiadini
Sunderland find themselves in twelfth place in the Premier League table with just two matches left in the season. Despite their current standing, former Sunderland striker Marco Gabbiadini remains optimistic about the Black Cats’ chances of securing a European spot as they approach the final games of the campaign.
Marco Gabbiadini said: “A lot of teams are fighting and playing each other in this little middle group and no-one wants to give an inch so if we did win the last two games, it could make a huge difference. It’s still there for us as a carrot, but it is a little bit disappointing. When we look back in a few months’ time at the way the season went, we have just faded away a little bit towards the end.”
On Sunderland’s squad depth, and how it might have hindered a potential European push, Marco Gabbiadini added: “We’ve got this small squad that the manager likes to use. Once it goes deeper than that, sometimes we have got issues. He hasn’t got three or four strikers to choose from who have played in the Premier League before and got experience. They are the bits that we have got to improve on. If we had players like that, they would probably be starting – that’s the difference between us and an established Premier League side. We’ve established a great foothold in the Premier League and made it look easy staying up this season, but the next step is to score a few more goals.”
Gabbiadini’s comments underscore the competitive nature of the Premier League’s mid-table battle, where several teams are vying for European qualification. Sunderland’s recent form has seen them struggle to maintain momentum, which could be attributed to the limited depth of their squad. The lack of experienced Premier League strikers in the team has been a notable shortcoming, as highlighted by Gabbiadini.
While Sunderland have successfully secured their place in the Premier League for another season, the challenge now lies in enhancing their attacking options to compete with more established sides. The upcoming matches will be crucial for Sunderland to capitalize on any opportunity to climb the table and potentially secure a spot in European competitions.
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