GUS POYET thinks that even he would struggle to score goals in this Sunderland team ahead of a fixture which he thinks will be pivotal to the rest of the Premier League season.

A defeat at home to Burnley today could see the Black Cats drop back in to the bottom three and the struggles in front of goal have been the root cause of the problems.

Sunderland’s tally of 19 goals from 22 league games speaks for itself, with Aston Villa the only club to have scored fewer.

Steven Fletcher and Adam Johnson are the side’s leading league scorers, but both are stuck on just four. The situation is desperately in need of improvement if Sunderland are to climb clear of relegation trouble.

But Poyet, who has called for his fans to show patience after coming under fire following last week’s goalless draw with Fulham in the FA Cup, admits he has to find a way of getting his team firing - somehow.

“I don't think I would be able to score too many goals in this team if I was playing because we don't cross enough,” said Poyet, a former Chelsea and Uruguay forward.

“We practice and we tell the players to cross when the players are running with the ball, so they need to make a decision to cross. That is the plan. Fletch needs deliveries but we don't deliver enough.

“You can go into stats. I am not really a stats coach but after 20 games I like to have a look at how we have done compared to other teams, and for balls into the box, we are one of the worst. Not the worst but close.

“That is something we need to improve and then it is up to him and Connor Wickham and Jermain Defoe to put the ball in the net, then you cannot complain. We need to finish the actions better. It is the characteristics of the players or the system that we play that we need to improve.”

Poyet has had his players on the training ground trying to engineer a system to suit Defoe. What the former Tottenham coach insists, though, is that the ex-England striker will find the net regularly in a Sunderland shirt following his move from Toronto after drawing a blank in his first two outings.

“The more we talk about him not scoring, the longer it will look,” he said. “I’m not bothered because I know he will score. We need to do a few things better for that to happen. We need to create chances, we must do that better. But I’m thinking more about winning than Jermain scoring.”

Sunderland have won just once at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League and last weekend’s soporific goalless draw with Fulham drew complaints from fans on Wearside.

Poyet hardly endeared himself to the same supporters in the immediate aftermath of the game, when he suggested that the faithful still hark back to the days of Niall Quinn and Kevin Phillips.

But the Sunderland boss thinks the visit of Burnley represents an opportunity to repair the damaged bond between his squad and sections of the fans.

“In every season there are special moments. There are moments when you need to win certain games,” said Poyet. “What we have done up to now, especially in January, means this is a massive game.

“When there are nerves it is easier to play direct football. To pass the ball you need to control it, and we’re not doing that properly – that is creating nerves.

“It is up to us now. When we are all together – fans and team – it is easier. I think the fans are within their rights to boo the team, if we play terribly, like we have in the last couple of games at home.

“I just ask them that, during the game, if possible please stay with us – even if we are rubbish, stay with us, that makes it easier. When there is tension, it can affect you a lot. If it affects too many players then it becomes a big problem.

“Teams coming here should be thinking this is going to be difficult. We shouldn’t make it easier for them. Apart from that, it’s up to us.”

Poyet, who has midfielder Jack Rodwell missing through suspension, had hoped to have Lee Cattermole back for this weekend, but he underwent further tests yesterday to determine whether he needs surgery on a knee problem.

“I think Lee's had enough scans, but we're going to know more and we've got a big decision to make about the next few steps,” said Poyet, who is likely to turn to Liam Bridcutt in midfield again.

"An operation would be the worst case scenario but the easiest one would be to start jogging on Monday. There's been a few setbacks for him and that's the only problem so we need to make sure it's all clear so he doesn't have any more.

“We can't just count on what Lee says. He was playing with a pain when he also had a little groin injury and when we checked for whatever it got worse."