Djilobodji insists spirits remain high at Sunderland

Sunderland’s recent hot form hit a speed bump up against fellow strugglers Swansea – but defender Papy Djilobodji insists his side are not about to sink back into despair.

The Black Cats had won three of their last four Premier League games, only for Swansea to leapfrog them at the bottom of the table on Saturday in a thumping 3-0 victory.

 (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

But though their next three games are all against high-flying sides – Chelsea, Watford and Manchester United – Djilobodji has urged Sunderland’s loyal support to keep the faith.

“We have to stay positive because it’s not that easy,” said Djilobodji. “We had three victories in four games and even though we lost to Swansea we need to stay strong.

“We have to stay together for our survival in the Premier League and we don’t need negativity because we have the people behind us – the fans – and they come everywhere we go.

“We need them and we will need them throughout the season, but I think we will give them what they deserve and they deserve the team to stay in the Premier League.

“Wednesday’s game is going to be difficult but we can do better than we did at Swansea, so we will rest, prepare well and do our best to pick up some points.”