BREAKING: Play-off dreams fading, Sunderland’s Mike Dodds question before of matches against Norwich, Southampton, and Leicester

With 12 Championship games left in the season, Sunderland is attempting to maintain their play-off ambitions.
When asked about Sunderland’s chances of making the playoffs after their 2-1 loss to Swansea, interim manager Mike Dodds remained upbeat, but the Black Cats’ margin for error seems narrow.

With 12 games left, Sunderland has fallen eight points short of the top six after three straight losses. Their next three games are against Norwich, Southampton, and Leicester, three teams that are now ranked seventh or higher.

But it’s important to keep in mind that Sunderland was in a similar situation the previous season. With 11 games remaining, the Black Cats were seven points outside of sixth place following a humiliating 5-1 loss to Alex Neil’s Stoke. After that, Tony Mowbray’s team only dropped one of their final six games (against Sheffield United) in order to finish in the top six with 69 points.
Nevertheless, Swansea’s 70 points during the 2019–20 season secured sixth place; in the ten Championship seasons since then, that is the only time a team with fewer than 70 points has advanced to the play-offs.

To their credit, Sunderland has shown that they are capable of earning points against some of the best teams in the division in order to maintain their position in the play-off battle this season. During the last interim stint under Dodds, the Black Cats triumphed over Leeds and West Brom, raising the stakes at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland has won five and lost four of their games against teams that are ranked seventh or higher this season, including their next opponents, Norwich, who are ranked seventh. The losses have come by a slim one goal margin against Leicester, Ipswich (twice), and Hull.