Sunderland midfielder Boudewijn Zenden claims a failure to finish in the top ten will constitute another season of underachievement for the Black Cats. A recent slump in form, coupled with the recoveries staged by the likes of Liverpool and Everton, have seen them slip to ninth.
Steve Bruce's men have taken just one point from their last six league games.
Zenden said: "It's all that tight that everything is possible. It's nice to be up there during the season, but we have always said it's more important to be there at the end of the season.
"If you look at a team like Everton, who were struggling at the beginning, and where they are now, even Liverpool for example, it definitely is important where you finish.
"If you have got eight games to go, you have got a lot to play for. But it is time to step up and start picking up the points.
"Obviously, you set your targets. Target one has always been finishing in the top 10 and, if you look at the team we have got, that's definitely something that we should achieve.
"If we don't we have underachieved because last week we only had five or six players left because everyone was gone with the internationals, and that means you have got quality in your squad.
"With that quality comes certain expectations, and one of those is definitely finishing in the top 10.
"That's what we should still aim for and start picking up the points."
