Three points would have been nice but hey - we didn't lose...
With Swansea's midfield veritably packed out when compared with the last few weeks, I won't have been alone in hoping for all three points from this fixture. Though we only managed to secure a point, there were numerous positives on show, and we're starting to get a sense of where we need to improve.
In the first half, I thought the reason we struggled to retain possession was because there was no link between defence and midfield. We went long more times in the first twenty minutes than I cared to count, and we struggled to build from the back. As time went on this improved, and in the second half it wasn't an issue.
With a new pairing in central midfield and Jack Cork making his debut, it was always 50/50 as to whether there would be an immediate understanding between our central midfield unit, and while it wasn't instant there's obviously a lot of potential in a midfield that includes Cork, Britton, Ki, Shelvey & Sigurdsson.
Sunderland's goal came when Defoe managed to advance through the area of the pitch I've previously mentioned, with seemingly no pressure on him as he advanced into our half. It was a tidy finish but you have to be disappointed with how easy it was for him - he only had to jink outside Fede Fernandez to get his strike away and that'll disappoint Monk.
There was no challenge from our midfield who were tracking back, and I think we definitely benefit from having one midfielder sitting deep - any time Leon has played of late there's been a massive increase in our possession statistics and I don't think it's a coincidence.
The other area I'd mention is up front. Shelvey was clearly looking to go beyond Gomis, but I thought the Frenchman looked quite laboured. To me it appears he's still getting up to speed with the league, but in general he looks competent - just a little slow across the board. He also missed one excellent opportunity, but I think more often than not he'd put those away. It could well be he's just lacking a little confidence - hopefully he kicks on sooner rather than later.
We also saw Nelson Oliveira get a few minutes, a player who hasn't had much time to date, but when he's been on the pitch I've liked what I've seen. His feet are quicker than Gomis', and I wouldn't be averse to him getting the nod away at West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday. I doubt Gomis would be happy about that, mind you, despite his recent pledge of allegiance to all things Welsh.
Another positive is that Kyle Naughton is a) nails and b) put in an excellent cross for Ki to head home the equaliser. I was open in being unsure of Naughton but I think he's been excellent so far, and clearly looked to get forward a lot more than against Saints. Given the difference in tactics that would be perhaps understandable, but he looked a threat and was committed in both defence and attack.
What's more, he took what was described as "a footballing uppercut" when Jordi Gomez smashed the ball into his face (accidentally, while clearing away from danger), but refused the offer of the physio because he clearly didn't want to have to leave the field of play. Top work. Couple that with Ki's post-match comments about feeling some Asian-Cup-inspired lag but wanting to work harder than ever to not let it show, and there's a couple of big postives right there.
No, the performance wasn't perfect. We were very poor in the first half and it took a lot of hard work to get back into it. We did though, and that's the key. People may say we've been dropping points, but you could also argue that we've lost two in seven, with those losses coming away at Liverpool and at home to Chelsea, who are now seven points clear at the top of the league.
I've spoken lots in the past about how we're still a team in transition, and I think that still rings true. Monk is still learning on the job and will be until the day he eventually retires, but he's still new to management and to have done as well as he has to date is excellent. There are plenty of managers with a supposed wealth of experience who've overseen the collapse of much more illustrious sides, so to have a win percentage of 37% after a year in charge is very impressive for a novice manager in the Premier League.
The main positive for me though (to end on yet another), is that there is clearly still much more work for Monk to do. He'll be the first to admit we need to improve in various areas, and I have no doubt he wants to do just that and is working towards that end. With potential in the squad and an improving manager, the rest of the season could be intriguing to watch.