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Six video games into the season and Sunderland are flying excessive within the Premier League.

After eight years away, the Black Cats are having fun with being again within the large time, with victory at Nottingham Forest lifting them into the Champions League locations.

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Few would count on them nonetheless to be there come Could, however with three wins beneath their belt already, Regis le Bris’ facet have each motive to be optimistic.

“We all know to be aggressive on this league we now have to work collectively, to endure collectively,” Le Bris informed Sky Sports activities after the 1-0 win on the Metropolis Floor.

“I’m actually proud for that as a result of we defended rather well and our 5 subs helped quite a bit. With the ball I believe there’s nonetheless room for enchancment.”

Room for enchancment – however already a displaying to recommend there will not be a repeat of the previous two Premier League seasons, when all three promoted groups have gone straight again down.

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Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland have taken a mixed 23 factors from their opening six video games, making it the perfect begin to a Premier League season by the promoted sides since 2017-18.

Actually, solely 5 instances in Premier League historical past have the promoted sides made a greater begin to a season.

Such a robust begin bodes nicely for his or her probabilities of survival as in each marketing campaign the place the promoted sides have began so strongly, at the least two of the three have stayed up on the finish of the season.

“There’s a actually lengthy option to go – we’re just some video games in however we now have to have fun each good second and transfer on to the subsequent one,” Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs informed Sky Sports activities.

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Sunderland have made the perfect begin of the three, accruing 11 factors from their opening six video games, which is probably the most any promoted facet has taken in 13 years, since West Ham did the identical in 2012-13.

Solely two promoted sides have ever made a greater begin to a Premier League season and each of these have been within the early years of the competitors when the hole between the established and promoted sides was arguably not as vital.

A bizarre quirk is that of the seven groups to file eleven-plus factors within the first six video games, six of them – together with Sunderland – have been play-off winners.

Whereas each facet that has began a Premier League season with as many factors as Sunderland has survived.

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A phrase of warning for Black Cats followers, nevertheless, as Hull did solely handle to ensure survival on the ultimate day in 2008-09, staying up with simply 35 factors.

So why have this season’s trio began so significantly better than Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton 12 months in the past?

As a result of they have been far more profitable at retaining Premier League opposition at bay, conceding eight fewer objectives and giving up 32 fewer probabilities between them.

Whereas this season’s promoted sides have not really created far more than final season’s trio, they have been extra scientific to date, scoring three extra objectives regardless of taking simply 9 extra pictures and producing the same high quality of probabilities by way of anticipated objectives.

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So after years of typical knowledge telling us {that a} dependable goalscorer was the important thing to surviving within the Premier League, may Burnley, Leeds and Sunderland show that defensive solidity is definitely extra essential?