DICK ADVOCAAT admits he was “shocked” by just how poorly Sunderland performed at Leicester City last weekend, but has urged the club’s supporters to reserve judgement until the transfer window has closed in just over a fortnight’s time.

The Black Cats’ recruitment team remain locked in discussions with Liverpool and Manchester United about loan moves for Fabio Borini and Adnan Januzaj respectively, and are understood to have alternative targets if their latest attempts to improve the squad prove unsuccessful.

The need for further additions was all too apparent at the King Power Stadium seven days ago as Sunderland’s opening game of the season turned into the limpest of surrenders against a side who spent most of last season rooted to the foot of the table.

Advocaat anticipates a strong reaction when his players return to action against Norwich City this afternoon, but whatever happens in the opening home game, the Dutchman insists it is much too early to panic.

He accepts it will take time for the likes of Younes Kaboul, Yann M’Vila and Jeremain Lens to bed into the Sunderland squad, and continues to insist that things could look very different once the transfer window closes on September 1.

“People will look back at last season and use that to judge last weekend’s result,” said Advocaat, who has revealed that Adam Johnson’s shoulder injury is only likely to sideline him for six weeks rather than the three-month period that was initially feared. “I accept that. I understand why people might be a little bit concerned, but they need to give us a little more time.

“Yes, I was shocked by what happened (at Leicester). There is no excuse for the way we played, and if you think you can play that way then you have no chance at all.

“But after two weeks, we will know more. We will know exactly the squad that we have. I still think we have a better team than last year. I think that is already the case, and there is still two more weeks of the transfer window to improve it.”

Nevertheless, the Black Cats boss accepts that a repeat of last weekend’s failings would be extremely damaging, and is preparing to make changes to ensure things are markedly different this afternoon.

John O’Shea is poised to return to the heart of the back four in place of Kaboul, M’Vila is set to make his debut at the heart of midfield and Steven Fletcher is expected to start as the central striker, with Jermain Defoe pulling out wide to replace the injured Johnson.

Advocaat will also be instructing his players not to be as cavalier as they were in the first half of last weekend’s game, with full-backs Billy Jones and Patrick van Aanholt being urged to keep their attacking forays to a minimum until the rest of the defence has become more settled.

Van Aanholt was repeatedly caught upfield against Leicester, with his display eliciting some extremely harsh criticism from Sky pundit Jamie Carragher during Monday Night Football.

Advocaat claims Carragher should try his hand at management if he is such an expert at defensive organisation, but concedes the former Liverpool centre-half said little that he had not told van Aanholt himself immediately after the game.

“I have heard what he (Carragher) said, and maybe it is good for Patrick,” he said. “I had already told Patrick anyway, and he already knew what he’d done wrong.

“He has everything to become a good left-back, but last week he showed everything that is not good. But it is always easier from there (the studio) and I think Carragher has to become a manager himself.

“He is like everybody who knows everything in front of the television. I think they would really like to be on the touchline, but they would quickly find it is much more difficult there.

“I always tell the full-backs the way we like them to play is for them to come up and attack, but first they must take care of their direct opponent. If you can go, go, but only if the opportunity is good.

“Maybe sometimes they’re thinking, ‘I have to go, I have to go’, but it is always about the moment and how many times. The full-backs made it difficult for those in the centre (at Leicester) because they were so far up, but that will change.”

M’Vila’s presence should also help strengthen the base of the Sunderland midfield, although the Frenchman has spent most of his career treading a fine line between combative aggression and the use of excessive force.

The latter was certainly in evidence as he was dismissed for a head-butt in his debut appearance for Sunderland’s development side last weekend, and Advocaat has spoken with the 25-year-old to stress that any further examples of indiscipline will not be tolerated.

“It was not good,” he said. “He knows that, and we have discussed it with him. He knows we can’t accept that kind of thing. We have told him that, in England, everybody is watching him. With his name, he has to be aware of that and stay away from trouble.

“Hopefully, he understands that better now, although you can’t always change the temper of people. He understands what we have been saying to him though, and he is a good player.”