Xhaka promises ‘fire’ from Sunderland on long-awaited return to Europe
Sunderland captain backs Black Cats for European run
Sunderland prepare for their first European night at the Stadium of Light in more than half a century when AZ Alkmaar visit for the club’s opening Europa League match on Wednesday night.
When Sunderland last played European football, club directors viewed it as a means of raising cash for floodlight upgrades at Roker Park necessitated by England’s adoption of colour television. In autumn 1973 admission prices were doubled for the second leg of their European Cup Winners’ Cup tie against Vasas of Budapest, a move that followed industrial action by miners and railway workers and left a crowd of under 23,000 to watch Dennis Tueart’s penalty secure a 3-0 aggregate win.
Fifty-three years on, a near 49,000-capacity crowd is expected at the Stadium of Light for the televised HD clash, and captain Granit Xhaka wants the atmosphere to match the occasion.
“The stadium will be on fire,” says the 33-year-old Switzerland midfielder, who played in two Europa League finals with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen, losing both. “And I want to see our players on fire, on and off the ball. I’ve always been a dreamer and, for me, it’s a big, big dream to reach another European final and to get it with this club.”
Why Xhaka stayed
The opportunity is one of the reasons Xhaka resisted overtures from old friend Xabi Alonso to join Chelsea this summer. Four months ago, after Sunderland beat Chelsea at the Stadium of Light to secure seventh place in the Premier League and only their second European adventure in history, Xhaka declared: “This is just the beginning; we want more.”
Now Régis Le Bris’s side are balancing the demands of a second top-flight season after promotion with the glamour of a competition that in December will take them to San Siro. The tie has prompted Sunderland fans to retire the Newcastle chant “You’ll never see a Mackem in Milan”, with T-shirts emblazoned “Mackem in Milan” becoming a staple on Wearside.
First, they must overcome a free-scoring AZ side who have won five and drawn one of their opening Eredivisie matches. Xhaka may face 20-year-old Kees Smit, widely regarded as among Europe’s most promising young midfielders.
Manager and squad confidence
“It’s a privilege to be here,” says Le Bris. “I’m proud but we’ve earned it, the players worked very hard last season. Now we have a good opportunity and it’s important to go all in.”
“We want to be strong in both the Premier League and Europe. The players are looking forward to facing AZ; they’re excited. They want to be involved in this competition.”
The squad reflects the club’s rebirth under the transformative majority ownership of Kyril Louis-Dreyfus. Five years ago Luke O’Nien was playing for Sunderland in League One against sides such as Accrington Stanley and Fleetwood; on Wednesday he will be part of Le Bris’s matchday squad.
Le Bris and playmaker Enzo Le Fée have travelled a long way since Le Bris began working with the 12-year-old Le Fée as a lowly academy coach in Brittany at Lorient 14 years ago.
Xhaka is confident the dressing-room energy is correct for Europe.
“To succeed in Europe you need energy in the dressing room,” he says. “And that is what we have. The first step I took in the dressing room last season, I had a very good feeling. I could smell that it was special.”
“So the energy, the mindset is there. If you don’t have this desire, this hunger, this mentality to compete every single day, forget about this level. But this team has it and, game by game, this team will show it. You need luck but I’m very positive and optimistic that we can go very far in this competition.”
“The energy, the connectivity, the togetherness in our dressing room is amazing. I’m grateful that I’m here.”
The captain points to European experience within the group – Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo, Omar Alderete, Noah Sadiki, Le Fée, Brian Brobbey and himself – as a foundation for a campaign Louis-Dreyfus intends to be the first of many.