'Down to business' - Corry Evans says Sunderland Dubai trip is not just a holiday
Corry Evans says the mid-season trip to Dubai is a chance for Sunderland to ‘reassess and try and kick on for the second half of the season.’
Sunderland have made a solid start to the Championship campaign and headed into the break for the World Cup sitting 12th in the table – four points from the play-offs and four from the relegation zone.
It has also been a season of real challenges, though, with an injury crisis and former manager Alex Neil walking out having to be dealt with.
That injury crisis should have all but abated by the time the season resumes in just under two weeks, and Tony Mowbray has settled in well at the club, but Evans is still very grateful for the chance to pause for thought.
“It’s quite similar in that I normally go away on internationals in November time but it does have a sort of pre-season feel about it” Evans told SAFC.com. “But it will all be geared up towards our first game back against Millwall on the 3rd.
“It’s nice to get the little break because it has been a pretty hectic start back into life in the Championship.
“It was good to spend some time with the family. I think all of the lads enjoyed the small break where we could switch off for a week but now it’s back to down to business where we can crack on and focus on the next game coming up in a couple of weeks.”
The trip also provides a rare opportunity for a manager appointed during the season to get some sustained time on the training pitch to work with the squad he inherited, and that is also something Evans expects to be helpful in the second half of the campaign.
“It will be massive,” he said. “The manager has come in through the season so he hasn’t really had a pre-season where he can try different things in training.
“This week, he is really looking forward to it with all the coaching staff to try and implement his way of playing more within the squad. We’re all looking forward to what the week holds.”