Source: Telegraph
Sunderland v Stoke: John Mensah urges for calm to quell Rory Delap's throw-in threat
The Ghana international will be at the forefront of his team's attempts to repel Delap's throws and he believes the secret to success will be to stay calm under pressure as Sunderland aim for a first Premier League win since last November.[LNB]'Now is not the time to think about mistakes and point the finger at this person or that person for things that have happened in previous games,' Mensah said.[LNB]Rory Delaps party piece against Sunderland helps lifts Stoke City out of relegation zone'We have to come together as a team and do everything we can to get back to winning again.[LNB]'We have to be confident that we can go into this game and win. We need to focus on working hard for each other and, if we do that, I believe we will win.[LNB]'We have to be confident and show some belief in ourselves. In our last game against Everton, I thought we panicked too much and didn't look like we believed we could win we can't do that again.[LNB]'There can be no excuses for this game. We just have to get a victory against Stoke.'[LNB]Mensah, who is currently on loan from French side Lyons, has been blighted by fitness problems since heading to Wearside last summer but his return to action last week in the 2-0 defeat by Everton suggested the club's injury troubles could be over as relegation fears grow.[LNB]'It's a difficult time for us and for the coach because of the number of injuries we have had,' Mensah added.[LNB]'The coach hasn't been able to put out his best first eleven for a long time now. Also, when injured players are coming back, it takes time for them to settle back into the team again.[LNB]'Injuries happen at every club in every league in the world. In the last couple of months it has been our turn, and we have been badly hit.[LNB]'But we have to work extra-hard in this kind of situation and then we can come through the other side of it and hopefully climb back into the top half of the table.'[LNB]Sunderland goalkeeper Craig Gordon is apprehensive about Delap's set-piece expertise. 'They have used it to great effect and it is something we will have to deal with and work on,' Gordon said.[LNB]'Every side puts plans in place for it, but sometimes you can't stop it it really is that good. But we will be working on that and trying to make sure we cancel it out.[LNB]'If we can sort things out at the defensive end of the pitch, then we know we have a striker (15-goal leading scorer Darren Bent)who is always likely to get us a goal at the other end.[LNB]'That's not saying Benty should be doing it all on his own, but he's been the one who has maintained his form when the team has generally struggled.'[LNB]
