Ndong calling on Sunderland to ease Defoe’s goal-scoring pressure

Goals have been a rare commodity for Sunderland this season, and Didier Ndong is laying down a challenge for his teammates to ease the scoring pressure on Jermain Defoe.

The former England international has struck 14 goals already this season, just one off his haul last term and within touching distance of the 18 he made for Tottenham Hotspur in the 2009/10 – his best Premier League campaign to date.

But more significantly for the Black Cats, Defoe has scored almost 60 percent of his side’s Premier League tally, with the departed Patrick van Annholt accountable for three of the remaining ten before his switch to Crystal Palace.

Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

It is those figures that have left Ndong in particular concerned, with only Middlesbrough holding a weaker record than Sunderland’s 24 goals in 25 games, calling on his colleagues to buck the trend and get their shooting boots on.

“There’s just a real collective effort now because we know what needs to be done,” he said.

“The manager has been trying a few things to try and get us working better tactically, with a back-three system and two wings backs for example – which has really suited us.

“We understand we have to change and that we can do better as a collective group.

“The manager has been great as well, making us believe what we are capable of on the pitch.

“I think we need to score more goals as a team and not just one man.

“It needs to be collectively that we’re adding goals.

“So we have to believe in ourselves that we can do it and help the team.”