The massive decisions Régis Le Bris has to make at Sunderland this week - and the big question behind them all

When Régis Le Bris peers up at the whiteboard in his Academy of Light office this week, most of the little circle pieces denoting the team shape and who plays where will already be firmly in place.

In truth it's been this way for most of the season. It has been Sunderland's strength for the most of the season, Le Bris relying on a small core of players who as a result quickly built instinctive partnerships that delivered a consistency other teams couldn't match. It has of course also been Sunderland's weakness at times, when they have struggled to make game-changing substitutions late on and when injuries have then badly destabilised the natural rhythm of the side.

The 'strongest' XI that Le Bris would name if he could has therefore been pretty easy to read. And because Sunderland wrapped up fourth position and a place in the play offs early, he was able to pursue a policy of rest and rotation which means that when kick off rolls around on Saturday, he won't be far off it.

There is one million-dollar question from which his other key decisions will flow, and that is whether Romaine Mundle is fit enough to start. There's little debate that a fully fit Mundle take up his place on the left wing, his introduction an absolute gamechanger in the second leg against Coventry City. Having spent much of the game heading away Milan van Ewijk's crosses, Sunderland were now able to push the ball back towards his own goal. Mundle's 1-v-1 dribbling is a vital cog in Sunderland's attacking wheel, with so much of their build-up play centred around moving the ball out wide as quickly and as early as possible to isolate the 22-year-old against his defender. If he's fit, he starts. But Le Bris will paying close attention in training this week because if there is any question mark about Mundle's ability to stay the course, then he has a big decision to make. What he will be anxious to avoid is a scenario where he is forced to take off one of his key attacking threats at a vital moment in the game, where Sunderland need to build momentum rather than lose it. Though this won't be first and foremost in Le Bris's thinking, it is also worth a note to say that Mundle seems almost certain to be one of the team's penalty takers if their promotion fate is to be settled that way.

What Romaine Mundle’s availability means for Enzo Le Fée

If Mundle isn't fit to start, then Enzo Le Fée will stay out on the left. It isn't ideal, but the AS Roma loanee has shown a pleasing willingness to dig in for the team and if he can't run the game from the flanks, he can still deliver a moment of quality as shown across the two legs of the semi finals. If Mundle can indeed start, then it opens up the tantalising possibility of Le Fée moving infield and playing as a number ten. There is a slight element of risk here, as it's a game of huge proportions to be essentially experimenting with a new shape and the partnerships that come with it. Watching the way Le Fée drifted across the pitch in the second of half of extra time, however, showed the possibilities that will surely be too much for Le Bris to ignore. Sunderland were excellent, and Le Fée's growing influence was central to that. It's admittedly very simple and perhaps reductive logic, but in a game of this magnitude you want your best player to have as many touches of the ball as possible.

The big striker dilemma

So far, this piece has operated on the premise that Le Bris will move away from 4-4-2 and revert back to a more familiar 4-3-3. That of course is not guaranteed, it was against Sheffield United that the two strikers produced probably their most convincing display as a duo yet. The question is whether Sunderland can afford the lack of control in midfield that inevitably comes with this formation. If Le Bris decides that they can't, then he will of course have to choose between Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda. Mayenda looks the form player of the two and arguably contributes more to Sunderland's all-round play, but Le Bris loves the threat Isidor brings with his ability to run in behind defences. If one does drop to the bench, then they will have an absolutely central role later in the game. The option to move to two up front will be one of the many ways Le Bris can change the game against an opponent who run a much deeper squad and particularly in attacking areas due to parachute payments.

The possible injury issue to watch

Just one other area to watch, as the week progress. Patrick Roberts did superbly to last so long against Coventry City in the second leg, particularly as it was revealed in the aftermath of the game that he had been battling a calf issue. There has been no word since on the severity of that issue, and the winger will be closely monitored in the coming days as a result. If he can't make it or start, then Chris Rigg's accomplished showings across the two legs of the semi finals from the bench means he will almost certainly come into the side.

A handful of big decisions for Le Bris to make, then. Almost all of them will be guided first and foremost by how Mundle's return progresses.

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