Sunderland need to get Wilson Isidor back on the goal trail soon

16/04/2025 01:00

"The thought of potentially becoming a Sunderland playoff hero and propelling us to promotion should be all the motivation he needs", writes Phil West

As Régis Le Bris persists with his 'rotation, rotation, rotation' policy as we tick off the remaining league games ahead of another Championship playoff campaign, it's fair to say that the head coach is grappling with a multitude of questions as he tries to get the Lads into the best shape possible to deal with the stresses of knockout football.

Some of these are reasonably straightforward, and it feels like a good bet that we'll see the likes of Enzo Le Fée and Jobe reintroduced to the starting eleven for the trip to Ashton Gate. It may be that the clash with Bristol City also sees the likes of Chris Rigg rested as Le Bris attempts to strike a balance between player freshness and generating some pre-playoff momentum.

However, perhaps the most glaring issue currently facing Sunderland concerns our attack — and specifically a current lack of goals that had it not been for two moments of brilliance from Trai Hume against Millwall and West Bromwich Albion respectively, we might've been scrutinising to an even greater degree.

Of course, we all know that such is the talent possessed by the likes of Eliezer Mayenda and Wilson Isidor that there's every chance of them contributing majorly during the playoffs, but similar to Le Bris' apparent strategy of allowing his team to coast into the end-of-season shootout before expecting the players to turn it on when the real action begins, it feels like an awfully risky approach.

At the moment, Isidor in particular looks worryingly low on confidence and despite making some promising runs during Saturday's home defeat at the hands of Swansea, he kept running into a brick wall, being caught offside on more than one occasion and seeing a first half goal (perhaps harshly) ruled out.

Nevertheless, the fact he's getting himself into good positions is something to build on at least, and you'd hope that if Le Fée begins to play a bigger role during the remaining four league games, an understanding and a rapport will begin to develop between himself and the Frenchman — the net result of which will hopefully be one or two confidence-boosting goals for the mercurial striker.

Objectively speaking, Isidor's maiden campaign on Wearside has been a success.

It's been marked by an array of ridiculous strikes and memorable moments, and surely only Dennis Cirkin's long-range effort against Coventry City or possibly Romaine Mundle's equaliser against Preston will deny the former Zenit St Petersburg striker the Sunderland 'goal of the season crown'.

Yes, he's endured plenty of frustrations along the way — most recently with a sensational save from Millwall's Lukas Jensen denying him what would've been a certain goal against the Lions, but when his confidence is up and he's making those darting runs in between opposition defenders, he's one of the most dangerous strikers in the division.

Of course, Isidor isn't the only striker in the league to have experienced fluctuating form this season, and the fact that he's joint fifth on the list of Championship top scorers — a mere three behind Leeds United marksman Joel Piroe — tells a story in itself. Peaks and troughs are part of any footballer's makeup, but there shouldn't be any doubts surrounding his ability to emerge from his current slump.

Behind closed doors, one would hope that Le Bris and his teammates are doing their best to prevent Isidor's head from dropping, and I do believe that if we can establish a reliable supply line and he can sharpen up his movement a touch, he'll be back on the goal trail soon.

The upcoming double header with Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers may well be a chance for Le Bris to balance the relentless work rate of Mayenda with the more languid style of Isidor, giving them both ample game time and opportunities to build up their form in front of goal.

If the prevailing attitude is that results don't really matter but that establishing our strongest starting eleven and preferred style of play does, Isidor needs to grab the chances with both hands and the thought of potentially becoming a Sunderland playoff hero and propelling us to promotion should be all the motivation he needs.

It's also worth remembering that in terms of goalscoring, Isidor had a reasonably slow start to his Sunderland career before being afforded regular game time and beginning to find his range and the back of the net more frequently.

That should give everyone confidence that as we get ready for the challenges to come, he's got something in his locker that could make a huge difference in our quest for the Premier League.