'It was not a good Sunderland performance' - Regis Le Bris tipped to make tactical tweak following Fulham loss
Sunderland were poor in their 1-0 defeat away at Fulham on Saturday, and Regis Le Bris has been urged to make a key change.
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been advised to make a key tactical tweak following Saturday’s disappointing 1-0 defeat away at Fulham.
The Black Cats have set a high standard since returning to the Premier League for the first time since 2017, heading into the weekend sitting fourth with five wins, 19 points and just two defeats from their opening 11 games. However, they put in one of their most disappointing performances of the campaign so far at Craven Cottage, with Fulham outshooting them 24-4, while Sunderland managed just two shots on target.
It took until the 84th minute for Raul Jimenez to settle the tie, but Fulham were good value for the victory by that point, with Sunderland slipping to seventh in the table as a result.
Regis Le Bris urged to make tactical tweak after Sunderland defeat
Sunderland still have an eight-point cushion over the relegation zone and are only two points adrift of the top four, so Saturday’s result is by no means a disaster. In fact, it’s still been an incredible start to the season for a newly-promoted team. BBC journalist Chris Wise has stressed that point, but has suggested Le Bris makes a key tactical change in order to give Sunderland a better chance of picking up results in future away trips.
“It is six months today (Monday) since Sunderland won promotion to the Premier League. Since then, they have accelerated through the gears far quicker than most imagined, which is perhaps why Saturday's defeat at Fulham felt more disappointing than it otherwise would have done,” Wise wrote.
“It was not a good Sunderland performance at Craven Cottage, let us be clear on that. They did not create enough, and looked defensively vulnerable. It was everything that they have not been for most of the season to date. And you know that when Granit Xhaka is not having an influence on the game, you are probably going to struggle.
“So could they tweak the system and play a 4-3-3 in some away games? It felt like they were missing an extra body in midfield at times on Saturday. Nordi Mukiele stepped up the pitch at times from centre-half, but it didn't work as well against Fulham as it did against Chelsea when Lutsharel Geertruida was given a similar role.
“Sunderland have earned the right to be brave and, in Regis le Bris, they have a coach who will have already identified the solutions while others are still posing the questions.”
What next for Sunderland?
Sunderland will feel confident of a quick recovery from Saturday’s loss as they return to the Stadium of Light to host Bournemouth this weekend. The Black Cats are unbeaten in six Premier League matches on their own turf this campaign, winning three and drawing three. But they’ll have to make the most of that fixture, with a tough run to follow that sees them travel to Liverpool and Manchester City, before hosting Newcastle United in the first Premier League Tyne-Wear derby in eight years.