How can Sunderland address their growing concerns on the left wing?

12/13/2024 01:00 AM

With Tommy Watson and Romaine Mundle currently injured, what's the possible solution for Régis Le Bris? We asked our writers for their thoughts

Gav says…

Anyone who's heard me on the pod recently will have heard me banging on about playing Patrick Roberts on the left. Hear me out, though!

The most productive spell of his career was when he played mostly off the left for Celtic, and yes, I know that it's Scotland, but that's still a good level comparatively and it's just interesting to me that when he was a left winger, he knew where the net is.

Interestingly, on Tuesday he found himself on the left (having travelled across from the right, but still) when he scored the equaliser, which I think further proves my point - because he hugs the touchline so much on the right, he never ever gets in that sort of position usually.

You don't even have to do it for the full game. Again, this is something I've gone on about a bit recently, so apologies, but why not just try swapping the wingers over for periods during games? It doesn't make sense that we don't even try it.

So yes, my solution is relatively simple - start Roberts on the left, and leave Eliezer Mayenda on the right. I feel sorry for the poor bloke because whenever Eliezer is on the right, he looks dangerous, but isn't as impactful when he's pushed over the other side.

What's there to lose? We've got another three or four weeks until Romaine Mundle is back, so we can't afford to sit around and do nothing. If we're going to experiment, now's the time to do it.

P.S: He'll probably just stick Wilson Isidor there so he can get Aaron Connolly on the pitch. Not a fan of that, but wey.

Calum Mills says…

With Watson seemingly out for some time with the injury he picked up on Tuesday night, we're again looking for a solution on the left wing.

Eliezer Mayenda started the night on the right wing in place of Patrick Roberts, but was moved across following the injury.

Although he has pace, power and strength, he was looking to move infield in the first half too much from the left and kept losing the ball. For me, his position is either through the middle or on the right wing.

I've been surprised by Adil Aouchiche's omission from the matchday squad for the majority of the season or the amount of football he's played for the first team, as last season he was one of the few bright points and even his performances in pre-season were exciting (the switch of play to Watson to score his first goal was very impressive).

A clearly gifted player with good close control, solid passing ability and great vision, for me he's the person who should start on Saturday against Swansea.

He came on and immediately got on the ball against Bristol City, taking the game to their back line, causing problems and looking dangerous, and isn't that what we want in our attacking players?

If the rumours are true about him being on the list of players to leave in January, why not use him now to drive up his price? Or, if he performs between now and the end of January, does he get to stay until the end of the season to contribute to our promotion push?

Give the lad a chance and by 'chance', I don't mean ten minutes — I mean start him.

If Le Bris is all about 'finding the solution to the problem', right now our problem is that we don't have a fit starting left winger, and Adil could well be the solution.

Derek Carter says…

First of all, we have to feel mightily sorry for the lad and although he's just made the step up, it was certainly noticeable how the balance of the team was affected by him having to go off.

So, where do we go from here? I'm in total agreement with Gav and I think a shift to the left for Patrick Roberts would be beneficial for both the team and the lad himself.

Playing as an inverted winger certainly suits his dribbling skills but once he's driven inside, his end product hasn't matched the effort he's put in to get there and I think the thought of a Roberts and Dennis Cirkin combo bombing down that left wing would give opposing full backs nightmares.

I'm hoping Le Bris will be bold enough to mix things up a bit because it's certainly needed- especially as on Tuesday, we resorted to passing back and across the field again from advanced positions.

We've become a bit predictable and more reliant on bits of individual skill rather than scoring fantastic team goals.

John Wilson says…

I'm sure Eliezer Mayenda can be the answer. He's strong, fast and direct.

One puzzling observation from the Bristol City game was that when Patrick Roberts came on and Mayenda was switched to the left, he still wanted to cut inside. I know it's a modern trend, but how difficult can it be for a left-footer to hit the byline and put some crosses in!?

Twice in the first half, he was put clear with a run on goal. The first time he stopped, checked back, and the moment was lost. The second time, instead of going left into free space, he cut inside onto his weaker right foot, and hit midfield trouble. Very peculiar.

In the second half, he mixed it up and did much better, so I've no doubt he can be an option, at least until everyone's fit.