It's certainly been a different start to the season for Sunderland compared to last year, when they flew out of the traps on their Premier League return and went months without a home league defeat.

This time around they sit bottom of the pile with four points from seven games. Things were always going to be tough with the additional load of European football to contend with, something Sunderland haven't experienced in over 50 years.

The performance at Bournemouth on Sunday, fresh from an away Europa league clash in Portugal, was littered with mistakes and individual errors.

It led to defender Nordi Mukiele suggesting post-match that the team had become "arrogant". That felt like the wrong choice of words from the Frenchman. I don't detect that mindset, but without doubt the schedule, both mentally and physically, is having an effect.

There was a feeling from within the club that those exertions of European football would be challenging this season, and that is playing out in the results.

The load has not been helped by concurrent injuries to strikers Brian Brobbey and Wilson Isidor early in the season, meaning the untested Timur Tutyerov has led the line in the last two games - which was not part of the plan at the start of the season.

Sunderland need to get back to basics and the things which made them so hard to beat last season. They only lost four games at the Stadium of Light across that entire campaign, making it something of a fortress.

It looked as though that would continue this season after a solid performance at home to champions Arsenal in September, off the back of a narrow win over Fulham. But the performance in the 2-0 loss to 10-man Brighton has sent alarm bells ringing.

I do fully expect them to rediscover those solid foundations on Wearside, with two home games in the next week against Leeds in the league and then Brentford in the Carabao Cup.

But to do that they need to get back to what they are good at - the snarling, physical, in-your-face, streetwise style that overpowered multiple teams last season.

Without that, they could find themselves in trouble.

Perhaps that is what Mukiele means - that they need to get the intensity and aggression back which served them so well last season. They have looked a bit timid at times this season, the complete opposite of their first season back in the Premier League.

In an ideal world, Sunderland wouldn't have been scrapping around on Deadline Day trying to sign players, but it was a frustrating window for sporting director Florent Ghisolfi. It took owner Kyril Louis Dreyfus to fly to Lyon personally and convince Malick Fofana to choose Sunderland over Crystal Palace with just hours of the window remaining.

They also had to make the Belgian winger a financial offer he couldn't refuse. But that was the conclusion to a summer which saw them struggle to get signings over the line, which was a source of confusion to many given the season they had just enjoyed - and the lure of European football.

In my opinion, the squad size is still decent and strong and they have two players for every position. But when big players aren't performing, and injuries to their potential replacements take hold, there is an obvious problem.

Regis Le Bris will be hoping he can call upon one of either Brobbey or Isidor against Leeds in what is already looking like a huge game on Sunday.

The season start has created a strange situation for fans, because Sunderland have begun their Europa League campaign well and the supporters are obviously enjoying that journey. But of course, they will be concerned by the sight of the Premier League table, though there was always an acceptance that this season would be difficult to balance and that the league form may take a hit as a result.

I spoke to a couple of Sunderland supporters in the summer who said a good season would be a run in Europe alongside survival in The Premier League. So I think the fanbase are honest enough to accept a drop off domestically, and won't be panicking yet.

They know with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mukiele and Brobbey, they have an experienced spine which can help the team through these testing days.

The Sunderland fans have been through such a difficult time over the last decade that they won't be too phased by the current situation. But they will need to see an upturn in performances and results soon - starting at home to Leeds.

The only pressure I see on Le Bris at the moment will be that which he puts on himself. The 50-year-old has plenty credit in the bank after a couple of dream seasons on Wearside.

He has been a colossal part of everything good about Sunderland of late, and the club and fans will be backing him to turn things around. He is a very impressive operator, who leaves no stone unturned in his search for greatness and they are lucky to have him.

He also has a very solid support network around him at the Stadium of Light, and they are all on the same page. But he will be well aware things need to change domestically, and perhaps the comments from Mukiele post-match on Sunday will be the kick up the backside the Sunderland players need.

A word Le Bris uses often is "humble", and his players need to remind themselves what got them there in the first place. I'm confident they will be okay this season.