2 lessons Lee Johnson has definitely learned during his time at Sunderland so far | OneFootball

It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for Sunderland.

After a torrid few months under Phil Parkinson things suddenly started looking up after Lee Johnson was appointed as head coach back in December.

Since then things have gone really well for the most part with the Black Cats firmly in the hunt to secure promotion to the Championship.

Sunderland looked like favourites for a top two finish a couple of weeks ago but unfortunately things have gone a little bit sour of late with the club losing three matches out of three to all-but end their automatic promotion hopes.

A play-off spot is still on the cards and Johnson will be determined to right the wrongs of the last few weeks.

But what has the head coach learned during his time at Sunderland? Let’s take a look.

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The importance of Aiden McGeady

Put simply, Sunderland’s promotion hopes hinge on the winger’s performances.

It’s almost unthinkable that Phil Parkinson exiled the player from his first team set-up at the Stadium Of Light given that he has scored six times and created 14 goals in all competitions.

Lee Johnson knows how important the player is and his focus now will be on ensuring that he can get the best from the 35-year-old in the coming weeks.

A lack of leaders

While performances have generally been good, the last few weeks have been concerning.

Sunderland have wilted under the pressure of the promotion race and that’s a real concern given the apparent lack of leaders at the club.

Lee Johnson needs his players to step up in the coming weeks and that means having his players fronting up to the big challenge that’s ahead of them.