Sunderland boss Gus Poyet has bemoaned the lack of stability at the club following a second straight defeat in the Premier League.

The 46-year-old Uruguayan finds himself under pressure after a calamitous 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal on Saturday a week after being humiliated 8-0 at Southampton.

Poyet, however, believes his team are at a disadvantage when they come up against a settled side like Arsenal.

"I'll tell you one instance that you probably don't know, eight players from the Arsenal starting line-up last year are here, they are in Arsenal's squad; seven players from Sunderland's starting 11 last year here are not even at Sunderland," Poyet is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

"That shows you there is an advantage for people who have a squad that is together and you add quality and what you are missing, and another team where you start from zero every single year, and every year you need to see if you have got the characters, if you have got the quantity, if you have got the quality, if they understand the game, if they can defend as a team, if you are going to play long or short or passing.

"It's a little bit of a disadvantage without being an excuse, but we need to make sure that we don't do it any more. We don't want to start next year again from zero and another seven players in the starting XI."

Sunderland dropped into the relegation zone this afternoon after local rivals Newcastle United pulled off a surprise win away at Tottenham Hotspur.