Gus Poyet would’ve been allowed to lambaste his players after a listless 4-0 home loss against lowly Aston Villa on Saturday, but the Sunderland manager opted for caution.
[ MATCH RECAP: Sunderland 0-4 Aston Villa ]
With his team drifting back toward the drop zone, Poyet’s measured words showed he had plenty of time to think about how to respond to his team’s big loss.
Well, he had at least an hour, as Villa scored all four goals in the first half.
From the BBC:“A day like today you need to analyse very carefully as it’s not acceptable We had a good week training and we started the game very well.
“A few weeks ago was we didn’t start very well. But it’s not just about starting, it’s about plenty things we are not getting right. There is nobody to blame but ourselves.
“I was very positive, the players were fresh and looking forward to play game. I have to be careful what I say and analyse this situation very carefully. We had the chance to do things better and we didn’t do it.
“When you are a fan and you see your team performing like we did in the first-half I would do the same. What we did last year wasn’t expected. This year we haven’t been in bottom three the whole year, but we cannot win enough and we have put ourselves in a difficult situation.”
The fans came hard after Poyet, as thousands left before halftime and a few tried to get his attention by charging the dugout during the match. But the Sunderland man chose the cautious route as he tries to navigate what’s become a fight for the Black Cats’ Premier League lives.
