David Moyes will be an extremely relieved man after his team picked up a much-needed win against Crystal Palace last weekend. The team was in dire need of some sort of a morale booster and the victory and especially the manner of it has the potential to be a major game changer in the relegation battle. Yes, they are still bottom of the table but having looked like a team who were looking certain to go down just a week back.
They were struggling to put together a team and having done that, it will give much-needed confidence to David Moyes, having seen his team put 4 past a manager whom he replaced in the summer. The win was much needed and would have given him a pointer to how things will probably work for him.
The club is cash strapped and hence it was imperative that they sold before they were able to buy any players. He had to let go off Van Aanholt, who went off to Palace and Moyes recruited Lescott, Oviedo and Gibson in place of him. There was and is a doubt to whether they will be enough to help the Black Cats beat the drop this season.
PREDICTED SUNDERLAND XI WITH NEW SIGNINGS (3-5-1-1)
DEFENCE
Pickford is a long-term absentee and Vito Mannone will continue to keep his place between the sticks. Moyes has been utilising a 3-man backline lately and he is likely to continue with that formation. The team got him their best result of the season and he will loathe changing it right now. But in the long run, Joleon Lescott might be used on a regular basis especially if he settles in well. Lamine Kone will be the mainstay of the defence while Denayer will have to keep performing to keep his place in the team.
MIDFIELD
He has used Oviedo as the left fullback and it is likely that the player will be playing that role for the remainder of the season, either as a wingback or as a left-back. In the midfield, Ndong seems to be a certainty. But Gibson is going to get chances and he will take the place of either Larsson or Rodwell, with the latter likely to make way when that happens. In the right wingback position, Billy Jones has been decent and will like to carry on in that vein of form.
ATTACK
The duo of Adnan Januzaj and Jermain Defoe were scintillating last week and they will be given a run together up front. But Moyes have a few options here on in.
