Andy Welsh has challenged Sunderland under-23s to re-establish their best form after last weekend’s defeat to Manchester City.
Following a fine start to their Premier League 2 campaign, the young Black Cats unbeaten run came to a halt as the Citizens stood firmly in their way at the Stadium of Light.
While two long-range strikes put the visitors in control of the fixture at the break, Welsh’s side found themselves facing an uphill challenge for the rest of the game.
Despite a spirited second-half display, Welsh has now set his sights on a return to winning ways at Liverpool this Sunday.
“We are looking for a response in terms of the result,” he said.
“We have done a little bit of work this week in terms of what to do when we don’t have the ball.
“Liverpool are a quality team this season and they have scored lots of goals but this is exactly the kind of challenge we want.
“We want this for our development and we want the players to show when they do get their chances, they take them,” he continued.
“They have got a lot of pace so it promises to be a tough afternoon because we want to see a reaction from our players and we think that is important for our own development as a team.”
