Towering Costel calls for Sunderland to keep growing after Leicester point

FOR a player who certainly does not need the extra height, Costel Pantilimon constantly talked about the need to grow after recording the first clean sheet of his Sunderland career.

The 6ft 8in Romanian has had to wait for his chance since his summer switch from Manchester City, but after keeping Leicester City at bay he thinks Sunderland are on the up.

Despite being faced with Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool over the next few weeks, the Black Cats have shown signs of progress and the team has looked more of a unit.

Despite failing to find the net at the King Power Stadium, Sunderland were relatively effective, particularly in a defensive sense after a few early wobbles, but there is still plenty of room for improvement and Pantilimon agrees.

After preventing strugglers Leicester from ending a goal drought which has stretched to 500 minutes, the challenge will be completely different when Chelsea arrive at the Stadium of Light on Saturday evening having scored in every game so far this season.

“It will be a tough period,” said Pantilimon. “It is important for us to continue this good run and to keep getting the results. We have to work hard in training and to keep having this feeling of satisfaction we have.

“Facing Chelsea? It will be different, what can I say, we have three tough games coming up. It will be different, Chelsea are a tough team. But I consider every team to be a strong team in the Premier League.

“Chelsea maybe have great players but for us it is important to work hard like we did at Leicester and then we will get good results.

“Every game is different. It is important for us to work hard against them and be confident. It’s a long season. It’s important to grow as a team and we are.”

Steven Fletcher had the best two opportunities for Sunderland to defeat the Foxes but on both occasions – one in each half - Kasper Schmeichel was equal to his attempts to find the net. Schmeichel was also responsible for turning a speculative Adam Johnson effort from distance behind for a corner which gathered pace on the wet surface.

But Leicester had their moments too. Had they been more potent in front of goal, Sunderland could easily have been defeated.

As well as a couple of nervous moments from Wes Brown which could have gifted the home side a goal, Riyad Mahraz was lively and should have scored when he rounded the defender and hit the side netting half way through the second half.

But Pantilimon’s net never bulged and securing a point at toothless Leicester was a marked improvement to the outing Sunderland had after the October international break: the 8-0 shambles at Southampton.

He said: “That was an accident game. We don’t like to discuss that now. It was important our reaction was positive after that and we have shown that mental strength. We have reacted well.

“I don’t want to discuss that game anymore, it’s gone. It was in the past. It is finished. We like to move forward. It is nice that I have got my first clean sheet. It is good for the team’s confidence and for the team to have good results. We have to try to continue like this.

“It is important to have good results, and to grow together. It is important for me to be playing games too and I am happy to help this team, happy to be working with these great players and to have a good team.”

If there is a concern for Sunderland now, though, it is finding the net at the other end. The Black Cats have failed to score in five of their last eight games, but signs of progress have increased the confidence in the dressing room.

“We defended well and we attacked well, we were like a proper team,” said Pantilimon. “We did a great job. The season is long and we have to go again. We have taken a point and in this moment I feel we did OK. In my opinion we grew as a team with this performance.

“I like to say we are getting better day by day and this is the most important thing. When you grow it is important for the future. I know I have great players in front of me. I respect them all and it is a pleasure to work together to move forward.”