David Moyes in confident mood ahead of Sunderland's clash with Southampton despite two key injuries
'I've sensed that we want the next game,' the Scottish manager said in his pre-match press conference
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Your support makes all the difference.An under-the-weather David Moyes seemed in a confident mood in Sunderland’s pre-match press conference on Friday despite ruling out two players through injury for this weekend’s game with Southampton.
Sunderland registered a resounding 4-0 win over Sam Allardyce’s Crystal Palace last time out and Moyes wants to build on that with a positive result at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.
"We had a great result last weekend and the players showed everyone what they could do. It was a great team performance," the Scot said.
“For me, the level of our performance was great. It was hard not to say that some of our players had their best games for us."
Jermain Defoe has been the stand-out player for Sunderland this season and he scored two against Palace last Saturday.
Apart from Defoe, the other player who has been a shining light in what has been a dim season is 22-year-old English goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
Moyes will be without his number one choice keeper against Sunderland, though, as Pickford is yet to have fully recovered from the knee injury he suffered in late December.
Moyes said: "Jordan is back but the medical team want him to complete the time the surgeon said for his recovery. [So] he won't be involved."
Despite being without him and Rodwell, Sunderland’s manager seems to be in high spirits, adding: "I've sensed that we want the next game. I hope that proves to be right but we have to play well.
"We're in a good mood but we have a long way to go. The players have shown the standard they can play at.
"We've been in this position before and we've not done it so we need to do it this time. We have to be positive and win."
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