How Luis Hemir worked his way back into contention at Sunderland and the key dilemma for Mike Dodds

Sunderland's defeat at Norwich City marked a first start for Luis Hemir since the opening day of the campaign, a decision which interim head coach Mike Dodds had strongly hinted in the days before the game.

Dodds was asked about Hemir's progress in his pre-match press conference and made clear that he felt the 20-year-old was pushing far harder for selection than had been the case previously in the season. So what changed? Dodds shared Tony Mowbray's view from the first half of the season that Hemir needed to get fitter to adjust to the demands of Sunderland's style, particularly out of possession. While admitting there is still a lot of scope for improvement in the months ahead, it's progress on that front as well as Sunderland's ongoing struggles in the final third that have brought him back into the fold.

Dodds added that the time it has taken Hemir to adjust should probably come as no surprise, given the very different playing style in the Championship to that which the 20-year-old grew up around.

"I went back and watched all his clips at Benfica and in his defence, it's a completely different style of play," Dodds explained.

"I sat down with him at one point early in the season and we were talking about match loads in terms of distance covered, sprint distance and he just couldn't believe what we were asking him to do.

"In terms of shifting his mentality, that's been really important. He's a good kid and he's desperate to be successful here, and I think he's got the mentality now of having to do those things before he can do the things that he likes. What we're asking him to do is very different to is upbringing in football but the one thing I would say is - he can do it."

Hemir's performance was described as 'selfless' by Dodds in the aftermath of the game, with Sunderland again struggling to create chances in the opposition box. It's Hemir's skills as a finisher that encouraged Sunderland to invest so heavily in him last summer, and the reason why Dodds has been so keen to try and get him back into the fold.

The interim head coach knows he now faces a dilemma, finding the balance between the search for solutions to the club's struggles in the final third and giving one of last summer's arrivals an extended opportunity to try and make the position his own. What does seem clear at least is that in a three-game week, there will be another opportunity for Hemir to impress whether it be from the start or from the bench, a reward for those off-ball improvements Dodds has seen behind the scenes.

“It’s something we’ve definitely discussed internally, as a coaching staff [whether to give one striker an extended run]," Dodds said. "We changed slightly, in terms of our in-possession stuff, in the game against Norwich, and I just felt we needed a focal point in the game to play off and onto. Hence the reason why we went with Hemir. In the main, I felt he did okay. I think he could have had a bit more service. In the first 15 minutes, I think our quality could have been better, but once we settled into the game, we had pockets of play where we looked comfortable in possession, without really damaging them. I just felt, in terms of the way we set up, we needed a focal point. To be fair to Hemir, he’s working really, really hard. If I see the players on the training pitch are all in for the football club, then they’ll get an opportunity. Hemir has done that, so long may that continue."

Hemir's progress and journey sums up Sunderland's challenge within their current strategy, and one that Dodds is acutely aware of. Dodds' own background is primarily in youth development and so he knows that it can be a longer-term process. But as someone who has now been part of the first-team environment for an extended period and who loves living in the area, he's also acutely aware of the need to balance that by putting a team on the pitch that can win and do so regularly.

"The hardest bit for me in terms of moving to the area and really falling in love with the football club is that balance, that fine balance between having that Sunderland team that everyone is really proud of and excited about, that is really representative of the people - but also recognising that we want to sign players with a really high ceiling and it's going to take a bit of time for them to hit those heights we really want," he said.

"I know I've said it a lot but Jack Clarke in an example of that, a player where we saw the potential and the ceiling.The challenge for me is explaining that without making excuses."

After four defeats on the bounce, Dodds is well aware that his primary focus has to be results. Against two teams of Leicester City and Southampton's quality, his selection will be a reflection of that fact first and foremost.