MERRY MACKEMS

Sunderland have come a long way since their Netflix documentary b@nter-era nadir. It was a time of turmoil. A time when TV cameras were welcomed into the Stadium of Light to record their Brentian chief executive using a cryo-chamber studiously avoided by the players whose recovery it was supposed to aid. A time the club hierarchy famously spaffed £4m on a flame-retardant Will Grigg in a deadline-day panic buy. And a time when Jack Rodwell took up residence in the treatment room on his £70,000 per week League One contract. While local club staff worked as hard as they could to maintain their dignity in the most trying circumstances imaginable, Sunderland suffered back-to-back relegations from the Premier League and became marooned in the third tier and something of a laughing stock due in no small part to being co-owned by a posh bloke who thought an Ibiza house anthem was more suitable than Prokofiev’s Dance of the Knights as player walk-on music and often wandered around Wearside wearing red trousers.

Mercifully, those slapstick days finally appear to have been consigned to the dustbin of history and it is a measure of just how far the club has progressed that a sizeable contingent of fans genuinely believe the Black Cats could put the brakes on Arsenal’s apparently relentless gallop to the Premier League title when they welcome them to the Stadium of Light on Saturday. After winning the Championship playoff final courtesy of mugging Sheffield United at the last, Sunderland bought often and wisely in the transfer market. A total of 14 new players came in and all have made an impact to leave Régis Le Bris’s team scaling the unthinkable heights of fourth after 10 games. And while he may not be the best player to have been recruited during the summer, Granit Xhaka is without a doubt the most influential. And given his colourful Arsenal “previous”, it is Sunderland’s captain who finds himself the subject of much of the pre-match focus before Saturday’s clash. “It will be an emotional game for myself – I had seven amazing years there,” roared Xhaka. “I still have contact with many players, with the coaching staff. To play against them here in Sunderland, of course, is very special. Hopefully I can enjoy it as well and let’s see who the better team on this day is.”

While Xhaka is fondly remembered by most Arsenal fans, his relationship with them was often fractious and famously boiled over in 2019. The skipper gesticulated and swore at an Emirates crowd who were jeering him as he was substituted in a match against Crystal Palace, in an incident that led to no end of pearl-clutching from supporters and culminated in him ripping off his shirt, chucking it on the floor and storming down the tunnel. Since leaving, this one-time scapegoat for the club’s failings has won a German league and cup double with Leverkusen, while Arsenal have won the square root of eff all. And despite having already scored his goal for this season against Everton on Monday, it seems written in the stars that Xhaka will inevitably have a major influence on the game. Sunderland fans and neutrals everywhere will be hoping for a driven, highly motivated captain’s performance, while Gunners will also be cautiously optimistic he rolls back the years … flips his lid and gets shown a red card.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Two thousand press conferences! Those were the best moments! Plus interviews. No, when I started, I didn’t expect this. But it is a joy. If I could choose one rival for this personal milestone that I want to share with many, many people - that would be the best. Especially with Jürgen [Klopp] … the biggest rival in this country and it could not be better. The destiny of the universe” – Pep Guardiola on his joy at facing banal press conference questions Liverpool in his 1,000th match in management.

Will Pep Guardiola look as smart as this for his big match on Sunday? Photograph: Matt West/Shutterstock

FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS

I think Gianni Infantino may be sending us a subliminal message with his new Fifa Peace Prize, Football Unites The World (yesterday’s Football Daily): ‘FU The World’” – Peter Allan.

So Infantino believes that ‘football stands for peace’. He obviously never saw Tommy Smith, Vinnie Jones or the entire Leeds team of the 1960s and 70s play” – Ian R West.

While I share Football Daily’s scorn for Fifa’s ludicrous Pretend Peace Prize, on the flip side I am very much looking forward to the awards ceremony for this year’s inaugural Nobel goal of the season” – Phil Taverner.

Oh go on, I’ll bite, as if I need to further prove my lack of a life. The kit car minibus based on Nissan parts you so desire (yesterday’s Memory Lane, full email edition) has passed through four pairs of hands since old Wembley shut, has never been on the road, but hasn’t been scrapped and is registered off the road, somewhere. It’s got a weird little engine, so what four people wanted with a sluggish, underperforming ragbag of this and that loosely connected to football is beyond me. Mind you, it would suit the Daily, I guess” – Jon Millard.

The bus in question. Photograph: Frank Baron/The Guardian

Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Jon Millard. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.

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