Having made five changes to his Sunderland XI at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night, the expectation is that Régis Le Bris might well return to something a little more familiar when Cardiff City visit the Stadium of Light this weekend.
Chris Rigg, Dennis Cirkin and Wilson Isidor were all given a welcome break from the rigours of Championship football, instead deployed as effective impact substitutes. Given their importance to Le Bris’s side so far this season, it would be a surprise if they were not immediately restored this weekend.
The key question for many Sunderland fans is whether Le Bris will restore Isidor to the starting XI in place of Eliezer Mayenda or alongside him. The pros and cons of such a move are fairly obvious, and in truth have been for some time. The main pro is that opposition defenders struggle to deal with the electric pace of the pair, who also both seem to play at a higher level when they have the other on the pitch sharing the load of dealing the centre-backs.
The cons? Sunderland lose control of the midfield battle when they take a player out of that area, and it disrupts the passing triangles that were so instrumental to the team’s build-up play in the opening months of the season.
So what will Le Bris do? While it would seem harsh in the extreme to not pick a player who has just scored a match winning brace, the Sunderland head coach has always been clear that he won’t select on sentiment alone.
Back in February, there were widespread calls for Le Bris to move to 4-4-2 and select Mayenda after two very disappointing home draws against Plymouth Argyle and Watford. Le Bris resisted, explaining that it was still best to stick to the template that had been so effective across the season at large. Mayenda was a second-half substitute as Sunderland beat Luton Town 2-0.
Before the game, Le Bris said Mayenda’s role was ‘perfect’, perhaps hinting at the approach he will take in the weeks ahead.
“I think the situation is perfect right now,” Le Bris said at the time.
“Eli is still in the process of learning. Last season I don’t know how many minutes he has but not many. Now he is a very important player for the team, even as a sub.
“In every team who has success you have subs who make a difference. They want to play more minutes, that’s fair and it’s good ambition but at the same time right now Wilson has been really good from the beginning of the season until now. But we also have Eli who can replace Wilson as the 9 or play as a second striker, and we can produce a new set-up which can unbalance the other team, so it’s perfect.”
Mayenda has without doubt established himself as a vital member of the Sunderland squad, and more starts between now and the end of the campaign are now a given. It’s equally clear, however, that he will need to be patient at times along the way.
Eliezer Mayenda’s classy response to Sunderland ‘frustration’ question
While eager to get more starts, Mayenda explained after the Sheffield Wednesday game that he is ready to impact games from the bench if required.
“Frustration is maybe not really the good word to explain that,” Mayenda said when asked if he was frustrated to not have played more football this season under Le Bris.
“But I think every player wants to play. Not just me on the team. The other team is the same thing. Football is like that. You have to think just in a general opinion. For the team, the most important thing is to win the game. If I play just 20 minutes or 90 minutes, for me it’s the same thing. You can stay just a little bit frustrated. I don’t think like that. I don’t feel like that. I want to help the team in every game. If I start on the bench, it’s not alright, but it’s football. The gaffer is the boss. If the gaffer thinks for the next game, I will make a bigger impact on the bench, just let’s do it.”
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