Sunderland lost 2-0 to Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League on Thursday and are preparing to face Chelsea at the Stadium of Light on Sunday. They have one win from nine Premier League matches and sit bottom of the standings with five points.
Sunderland's defensive numbers
Sunderland have conceded 17 goals in nine Premier League games and have gone seven matches without a win, including a 3-1 defeat to Coventry City in their last match. Chelsea have kept two clean sheets in their last three league outings.
Scoring problems
Sunderland have failed to score in eight Premier League matches in 2026 and have not scored in their last three league games at the Stadium of Light.
Bennett backs Le Bris
Gary Bennett said individual mistakes had been largely responsible for Sunderland's struggles and backed Regis Le Bris. He said: "Yes. Again, you know, if you change the manager, he's still got the same players. He's done magnificent. But at the end of the day, you look at the goals and the games which you've lost, and it's all down to mistakes."
The former defender said: "I think what they need to do is defend better. Cut the mistakes out."
He added: "We always talk about, you know, if you've got a good defence, make it difficult for the opposition. Don't concede goals. You're not going to lose games."
Bennett on Zagreb and home support
Reflecting on the Europa League defeat to Dinamo Zagreb, Bennett said: "I just thought the first 45 minutes of the game, we didn't create anything outright. I think our build-up play was slow; there was no intensity."
Bennett told Flashscore.com: "We all know that we need to get back to winning ways. It's going to be a difficult on Sunday against Chelsea. We always knew that it was going to be a tough game."
The Sunderland legend said: "They (the fans) are going to be very crucial. Especially, we've always said that, you know, our home form is the form which will keep us in the Premier League."
