Granit Xhaka Provides Decisive Update On His Sunderland Return: How Will He Tactically Change The Black Cats?
Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka recently hopped on Instagram to share some good news. He posted an update about his recovery from that ankle injury. He told the fans on Wearside that he expects to be back on the pitch very soon.
Granit Xhaka nears Sunderland return
This boost for the club came just before his teammates ground out a 1-0 win against Oxford United at the Kassam Stadium. Habib Diarra coolly tucked away a penalty to make sure the Black Cats reached the FA Cup fifth round for the first time since 2015. The veteran midfielder shared a few photos of his training. He mentioned he was taking things “step-by-step” as he gets back to full fitness.
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The impact of a leader
The 33-year-old Swiss international moved to the Stadium of Light last summer. He arrived after a historic, unbeaten Bundesliga season with Bayer Leverkusen. He wanted a fresh challenge in a growing English project. Owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus personally talked the experienced leader into joining. Louis-Dreyfus won the race against several Champions League teams to secure a player who can lead such a young group.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND – JANUARY 17: Granit Xhaka of Sunderland looks on during the Premier League match between Sunderland and Crystal Palace at Stadium of Light on January 17, 2026 in Sunderland, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Since he joined, Xhaka has been the engine room of Régis Le Bris’s team. He plays deep to set the pace and help out the defence. The stats show he leads the league in clearances and successful long balls for a midfielder. This proves Xhaka’s vision is as sharp as ever, even at 33.
Restoring tactical balance
Missing the last five games forced the team to shuffle things around in midfield. Enzo Le Fee had to stop attacking as much, so he could stay back and keep things steady. Sunderland missed the captain’s ability to switch the play so quickly. They also missed his loud leadership when the team was under pressure at the back.
Once he is 100% fit, his return will let Le Fee move further forward again. This shift will bring back the attacking spark that helped the club climb into the top half of the Premier League. Fans are eager to see their skipper back out there to keep this run going through the final months of a great season.
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Liverpool boss Taylor left with mixed emotions after defeat to Chelsea
Liverpool head coach Gareth Taylor had mixed emotions after watching his side go down 2-0 to Chelsea at Kingsmeadow on Sunday afternoon.
Sjoeke Nüsken and Lauren James got the goals as the hosts continued their push for European qualification.
Despite the 2-0 defeat to the reigning Barclays Women’s Super League champions, Liverpool boss Taylor praised his players for their efforts.
“Going into this game, we understood the category of game that we put it in,” Taylor said when speaking to the media after the match. “I think [Manchester] United, Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea; I think that’s a category where you know that you’re going to have to be really at it to get things right, to get something from the game.
“I thought there were a lot of positives today and I feel better than I did after the Man United game. I felt we tried to play them at their game a little bit more and come up short whereas today, we played the way we wanted to play, I thought we had control of large parts of the game.
“The message at half-time – we were disappointed to give the goal away because I think that’s on us a little bit.”
Commenting on his side’s performance further, Taylor highlighted Liverpool’s missed opportunities, however, he saw positives to take back to Merseyside.
He said “Even though Chelsea do have the quality and they always seem to like force the ball into the goal, we just felt that was on us a little bit more and we could also be better in the final action.
“We just didn’t work [Hannah] Hampton enough in the first half, we were better in that sense in the second. We certainly had some good moments in the first half, we could have exploited that a little bit more.
“For me, it’s disappointing, but I think that’s a mark of progress for us; that you come here and to a team that’s been really dominant here for many, many years and to be disappointed.”
“I’m sure the players will be disappointed today, but they also would have enjoyed going toe-to-toe with Chelsea and at times, holding their own. It’s just that more of those duels, more of those outcomes, we need to come out on the right side of.”
Liverpool are back in action when they take on Everton in the Adobe Women’s FA Cup at BrewDog Stadium on Sunday.
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