Sunderland midfielder Jack Rodwell has suggested that the Black Cats need to shore up their defence and let Jermaine Defoe take care of goalscoring duties.

The Black Cats' defensive frailties have been exposed several times this season, and the midfielder recognizes that a lot of work would be required to achieve defensive stability.

"It's been a strange start to the season and defensively, there's a lot to work on," he said.

"We're letting far too many goals in but the flip side is that we're causing teams problems and scoring goals of our own.

"Jermain Defoe has scored five already so we know that if we can just tighten things up, we've got someone at the other end who is bang in form."

Sunderland have conceded 11 goals in four outings so far this season with Defoe already scoring five of their 10, including a hat-trick in Tuesday night's 6-3 win over Exeter City in the Capital One Cup.