Captain Cana Demands Balance

Sunderland have been one team at home and then a completely different team when they step on to a different pitch away from home and Cana thinks it is time for this trend to stop.

Since our opening day victory at The Reebok Stadium we have only mustered a lousy point all season on the road and the Albanian Captain is following advice from what he heard from Carlo Ancelotti.

Cana said: ‘I saw something interesting that was said by Carlo Ancelotti – he said the most important thing to a team is balance. I think that is exactly right.

‘What is the balance? For me, we need to work harder.

‘When you are in good moments and are on the attack, you should do that as well as you can but in the difficult moments of the game you need to work together and work hard on the defensive part as well.

‘We know we are better than our performance at Wigan. That is why we are frustrated. We have had a lot of opportunities in the past maybe to have six points more. It`s about what more we can do.’

It is something that we have not managed to do this season, follow up a good result at home into the next away game. When we beat Liverpool at home we then folded at St.Andrews when Bruce’s former club Birmingham beat us 1-0. Cana has called on his international experience and insisted it is up to him to make all the players stronger on their travels.

Cana added: ‘There is a big difference between our home and away performances and it is important that we find a solution for that. It is about mentality.

Each player has to bring a little bit more to the pitch to improve our performance levels away from home.’

Sunderland head to an injury ravaged Fulham on Sunday and hope that their Europa League game on Thursday also takes it’s toll on Fulhams squad as we look to get back to winning ways on the road.