Sunderland may be dreading their next Premier League match against Arsenal but the Black Cats have the small obstacle of an EFL Cup fourth round tie against Southampton before they can think about that.
There is every reason why Tuesday's training session at the Academy of Light would have been filled with positivity as David Moyes' boys prepared for a break from their league gloom.
After all, Sunderland have been at their best in the EFL Cup this season with a 1-0 victory over Shrewsbury and a 2-1 win over QPR representing their only victories of the entire campaign.