Régis Le Bris explains his Sunderland defensive selection decision after Sheffield United win

Régis Le Bris says his decision to change left backs for Sheffield United’s visit to the Stadium of Light was purely down to a desire to rotate.

Aji Alese came into the starting XI at Dennis Cirkin’s expense, but Le Bris explained after the 2-1 win that this was due to a desire to rest Cirkin as opposed to a tactical decision. Cirkin could therefore be in contention to return to side when Portsmouth visit the Stadium of Light on Sunday as Le Bris navigates a brutal schedule.

“We have many options in our back four, and I think it’s important to manage every player,” Le Bris said.

“When we feel that one of these players is tired, then we know the depth of the squad is good. We have two or three options available. Aji did well, and Dennis will recover and be available for the next games.”

Sunderland’s win over their promotion rivals moved them firmly back into the mix for the top two spots in the Championship and while Le Bris says no one on Wearside is getting carried away, he conceded that it was a win of real significance in the context of the season more generally.

“It shows that we are consistent,” Le Bris said.

“Even if we didn’t win all the games before, we were still able to create danger and play well. It’s a question of consistency, and we have shown that we are able to get that consistency. We didn’t get all the points that we wanted to get (over Christmas), but we have responded well. This league is so strong that you will have some periods where you struggle, but you have to keep believing in what you are doing. In terms of that, I think it is important night for us.”