VITO Mannone insists there is no cause for panic despite the fact Sunderland are yet to win a Premier League game this season.

It has been an indifferent start to the campaign for the Black Cats, who narrowly avoided relegation at the end of last season, having taken five points from their first six games.

Gus Poyet’s men are still looking for their first win, but they have only been beaten once, drawing their other five games.

Twelve months ago, Sunderland were also still looking for their first victory, but it was a very different picture with Paolo Di Canio’s side having managed just one point from their opening eight matches.

The Black Cats should have earned that elusive first win in Saturday’s stalemate with Swansea at the Stadium of Light, but despite creating a number of chances towards the end they had to settle for another point.

Apart from the Capital One Cup defeat to this weekend’s opponents Stoke City, Mannone has been ever-present in goal, and after keeping his second consecutive clean sheet the Italian believes the team is edging closer to producing the complete performance.

“I think in the last game our performance was nearly perfect,” Mannone said. “We just couldn’t get a goal. It was simple really, we were fantastic defensively, we did what the manager asked us to do, we closed them down, we didn’t let them play and we created chances of our own.

“It was just the fact that the ball didn’t go in the net. If we’d gone away with a 1-0 everybody would have been saying, ‘Look at Sunderland, incredible!’

“It’s a situation we didn’t want to be in but last year looking at the games we had played, it was nine or ten games for one point. I’m looking at it now and it’s six games, five points.

“We can work on it and we have a very long season but we’re nearly there.

“We are working in a positive way. I like to think that way. The strikers will score and the day we get the win I think everything will change.

“Last season, the first ten games we were shipping goals and we didn’t look solid at all. This season we have a base, we just need to go forward. Everybody needs to be patient. Everybody.”

Sunderland entertain Stoke for the second time in under two weeks after the Potters ran out 2-1 winners in the Capital One Cup on September 23.

Mark Hughes’ side overcame arch-rivals Newcastle at the Britannia Stadium on Monday night and having watched them play twice this season, Mannone insists there is more to Stoke’s game than there has been in previous seasons.

The Potters have acquired the reputation of being a physical side since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2008, but the Italian believes Sunderland will have to be wary of several threats on Saturday.

He said: “They’re more organised and they don’t focus only on kicking and winning by physical challenges, corners, throw-ins, smashing the keeper.

“It used to be like that - there was nothing wrong with it because they got many, many points. They’re a really tough side to play because they can play football as well.

“When they put the ball in they do it in a difficult manner. They can counter-attack, they’re very physical and they’ve got good players like (Victor) Moses, (Oussama) Assaidi, there are dangers everywhere. We just need to focus on our game, defend well and because we are at home we will hope to attack them and hopefully get a win.

“Each department of our team will have its own problems. (Steven) Nzonzi is a great player and the midfield will have to deal with him.

“We will have problems on the flanks and our centre-backs as well. Anything can happen, they’re really good on set pieces. But we know what we’re getting and we just need to focus on ourselves like we did against Swansea.

“Each game is a difficult situation and a new one. We know (Peter) Crouch, but it’s important we don’t underestimate him because he can play with his feet too.”