Sunderland
Sunderland defender Jenson Seelt has expressed his apologies to the 3,185 fans who traveled to witness the Black Cats’ 3-0 defeat against Hearts in a pre-season friendly at Tynecastle. Seelt acknowledged the team’s performance fell significantly short of expectations as they prepare for their Premier League opener against West Ham United on August 16.
Jenson Seelt said: “That was a hard game for us. Obviously, we need to look in the mirror and do loads of things better because that wasn’t enough.” He continued: “We’re in a pre-season where we train really hard – every day it’s high intensity, a lot of distance – but there’s no excuse to give a performance like this, even if it’s a friendly. We need to do better.”
Seelt added: “If you see so many fans show up for a big travel, then we just need to do better.” He admitted the style of play they faced at Tynecastle was a major shift from what they’d encountered previously. “If you see in Portugal – I think two games – very high intensity, very good level. Also, training sessions are at a really good level,” he said. “I think today is just hopefully a one-off, where we just didn’t show what we can. But still, we have minutes in the legs. Some good things as well today.”
Seelt further commented: “Props to the opponent because they made this very difficult. Obviously different from what we were used to in the previous games – a lot of direct play, lots of long balls. We just needed to manage it better. It’s a good game for us to improve on that side.”
Despite the disappointing result, Sunderland have a few more opportunities to fine-tune their tactics before the Premier League season begins. They are set to face Hull City away on Tuesday night, followed by matches against Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano at the Stadium of Light, and a trip to Augsburg. The team is keen to address the shortcomings identified by Seelt and ensure they are fully prepared for the challenge posed by West Ham United on August 16.
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