Sunderland’s Papy Djilobodji insists he is coming to terms with the Premier League after tough start
Former Chelsea defender hopes Bournemouth win can be catalyst for Black Cats revival
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PAPY DJILOBODJI admits he has found the Premier League tough going – but he is desperate to prove himself a hit at Sunderland.
The Senegalese centre-back is slowly coming to terms with the English top-flight after his summer switch to the Stadium of Light.
David Moyes splashed out £8million for the 27-year-old from Chelsea, who he only joined a year previous.
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Upon signing for the Blues he was immediately loaned to German side Werder Bremen and is therefore embarking on his first full campaign on these shores.
And after a slow start, the towering defender is beginning to impress as he produced an outstanding display to help Sunderland claim their first victory of the season against Bournemouth ten days ago.
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Djilobodji admitted: “It’s a lot more testing than I had expected or known, especially from having played in France or Germany.
“It’s the first time I’ve spent any time playing in England, and I do feel that the game is different here.
“As a defender, you need a lot more fighting qualities and a lot more concentration. You also need discipline in the way you defend.
“I’ll try to work on all these things to be able to succeed in the Premier League.
“It will help me as a player to be working in the Premier League, and I’ll do everything in order to adapt and be able to win games.”
That victory over Bournemouth was the first for Sunderland in the league this season.
Now with a home game against Hull City up next, Djilobodji is hoping that is the catalyst for a winning run.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo, he added: “We did come back strongly against Bournemouth and win, and it was a pleasure to win against them.
“From our side, when you don’t win you obviously lose confidence. But we have won our first game, and we are now looking forward to winning more.
“Hopefully Bournemouth will be the start of our season and we will do everything we can to make that so.
“I think it’s definitely changed [the mood] in the sense that you do feel a little bit more confident.
“Every day in training, people try to give their best and I really hope we will be able to win against Hull.”