It's safe to say Sunderland have surpassed early season expectations heading into the international break. Having had to contend with losing their head coach and injuries to important players, the Black Cats are currently perched in fifth place with ten games of the Championship season played.
There has been plenty of debate surrounding the Wearsiders and how they'd fare in their return to the second tier. A four-year absence in League One was enough to emotionally scar the red and white faithful and expect the worst, but it's been a pleasant surprise watching them go toe-to-toe with some of the best sides in the division.
Sunderland have played seven of the sides currently in the top ten from their opening ten games of the season, an impressive haul after much investment into the squad this summer.
