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London - Sunderland's Yann M'Vila has called on his teammates to stop being so "nice" to their opponents and show more aggression after their tame 3-0 defeat by Manchester United at the weekend.
The Black Cats are still without a win in the Premier League and are rooted to the bottom of the table with two points from seven games.
The 25-year-old M'Vila arrived in England during the summer with his fiery temperament well known, and he enhanced his reputation for indiscipline by getting sent off for headbutting an opponent in an under-21 game for Sunderland - his first for the club.
"We need to show some courage rather than just losing so easily like we did on Saturday," M'Vila said, quoted by the Chronicle.
"We are just too nice sometimes. It was too easy for Manchester United when we should have been showing some aggression.
"You should be playing matches on the edge," he added.
The Frenchman said it was vital for Sunderland to win their next match against West Ham United on Saturday, a game for which his under-pressure boss Dick Advocaat is considering abandoning his trusted 4-3-3 formation after admitting he is disappointed with the impact of his summer signings.
"We definitely have to look at a change of formation," Advocaat was quoted as saying by the British media after the defeat by United.
"It's difficult because we brought some new players in... but, at the moment, they don't seem to be making a difference," the Dutchman added.
