Sunderland

Last season ended with Sunderland seventh and heading into Europe. This one has them bottom of the Premier League.

Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Coventry lifted Coventry out of the drop zone and left Régis Le Bris's side on five points from nine games. Enzo Le Fée's penalty was their first league goal since 20 September, Sky Sports notes, and Omar Alderete's second yellow in stoppage time finished the afternoon. One win, two draws, six defeats. Their only league victory remains the 1-0 over Fulham on 30 August. "The consistency is not acceptable at this level," Le Bris told Sky Sports.

How they got here

The Guardian's Louise Taylor traces the story back to the 2025 play-off semi-final, when a stoppage-time Dan Ballard header beat Coventry and sent Sunderland towards promotion. Le Bris, who believes managers are storytellers, then took them up and into seventh. The sequel has been rougher. Before Coventry came a 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal, a 5-3 loss at Manchester City, a 2-0 home defeat by Brighton and a 2-0 loss at Bournemouth: four straight league defeats. A 0-0 with Leeds in Storm Boelo stopped the run.

Players to watch

• Brian Brobbey, the top league scorer on three, all in the hat-trick at Manchester City.
• Robin Roefs in goal, whose one-handed save stood out in The Guardian's report of the Leeds draw.
• Enzo Le Fée, the midfielder who delivered the corner for Ballard's header in 2025.

Europe and the cups

Europe is both the reward and the strain. Sunderland have won 1-0 against AZ and 2-1 at Torreense, and drawn 1-1 at Lech Poznań in the Europa League. The Guardian suggests European football has stretched resources, though Le Bris insists the busy schedule is nothing to complain about. In the EFL Cup they beat Hull and, on 28 October, Brentford 3-2, so they are in the quarter-finals, away at Crystal Palace in the week of 14 December.

Owners and money

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus owns 64% and is chairman, with Juan Sartori on 36%. The chairman holds the majority, which makes for a clear chain of decisions. The money question is the safety net: Premier League status and European football bring revenue that relegation would put at risk, and the squad is being asked to cover three competitions at once.

Next up

Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadium of Light in the Europa League on Thursday 5 November, three days before Chelsea visit in the league on Sunday 8 November.