Sunderland were defeated 3-0 by Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon.
Michael Beale acknowledges that he and his Sunderland players are disappointed with how long it took them to make an impression in Saturday’s crushing defeat to Newcastle United.
Sunderland fell behind just before halftime thanks to an own goal by Dan Ballard and struggled to create any chances. Alexander Isak then scored only minutes after the break and added a penalty in stoppage time to round off a dreadful week for the team.The Black Cats didn’t even enter Newcastle United’s half until they were 2-0 down, and Beale said his players needed to be honest with themselves about the distance between the two sides.
“The first half for the most part we defended OK but in possession we weren’t tidy enough, we didn’t show enough quality to show throw any punches,” Beale went on to say.
“We talked about being bold at halftime, made a couple of changes to get people higher up the pitch and bring the back four higher – and then we have the worst possible start, and that’s clear to everyone.”
“After that, we began to get into some interesting areas, and I believe that if we had scored, the fans would have done the rest for us because they were fantastic.” The third goal is even worse. When we came today, there was a gap between the two teams; my youthful squad attempted but failed to close it. They must be completely honest with themselves about today, because only then will we be able to improve and use in the Championship. The important thing is to be honest and not hide the fact that there is a divide.
Beale expressed ‘100%’ remorse for his team’s inability to create an impression, saying it was a lesson for many of his players with Premier League ambitions about the levels they need to attain consistently if they are to progress and prosper at that level.
“100% and we have to be honest about why that is,” Beale was quoted as saying.
“I had an idea, I think Newcastle at their best, under Eddie, are super aggressive in their press, they counter on you quickly, and that was part of the game.” It’s made them a Champions League squad, the opposition my team encountered was the strongest they’d seen, and I believe things became very genuine with our young team. We need to put that to use and go to work; I expect the level of training to rise because there is no uncertainty about the level. If people thought they were close to that level on a regular basis, today is a rude awakening. Now we need to go to work, and I’m confident that if we’re honest and use it correctly, we’ll be able to make significant progress very fast.”
Sunderland return to play next Saturday, when they face Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
