Whether or not Sunderland’s squad is deep enough, heading to Bournemouth to face a side who were without a league win before Sunday and had also just played in Europe on Thursday should have been one they were relishing.
Yet Sunderland could not have made it easier for the hosts at Vitality Stadium.
One of the recent summer recruits, Kevin Danso – a loan signing from Tottenham Hotspur – was bullied by Evanilson in the build-up to Marcus Tavernier’s opener in just the sixth minute.
Centre-back Danso was then sent off in the 17th minute for dragging down the Brazilian striker when he was clear through on goal.
In the second half, Omar Alderete’s weak backpass to goalkeeper Robin Roefs gifted Evanilson the chance to secure the three points for the Cherries.
According to Opta, in the Premier League this season no side has committed more errors leading to goals than Sunderland with five.
Alderete also became just the third player to commit multiple errors leading to goals this season, alongside team-mate Danso and Hull’s Konstantinos Tzolakis.
Sunderland have also conceded 14 goals – only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have shipped more – which is more than double their goals-against tally after seven games last season.
They have only scored six, and their three attempted shots in Sunday’s game – all off target – represented the lowest total for any team in a Premier League match this season.
It should be noted they have faced Manchester City, champions Arsenal and in-form Brighton, so it has not been an easy start.
“It’s just the beginning. Football is like this,” said Mukiele. “You can accept and just stand up and go back to work. If I believe we can go back to the top again, yeah, I believe about this.
“It depends about what we really want and this starts in training because we don’t do enough and after you can see it on the pitch.
“You cannot lie about football and today I don’t want to say we didn’t want to win this game, but it didn’t look like we want something.
“We just have to work hard to be back where we were like last season because right now this is not us – this is not Sunderland.”