Which Sunderland players have played most minutes this season on back of ruthless Regis Le Bris decision
Regis Le Bris made some brutal line-up decisions against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend.
Luke O’Nien delivered one of his best Premier League performances of the season to help Sunderland deliver a 1-0 win at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Despite playing a key role in last season’s promotion push, O’Nien has had to be patient for opportunities this season, with Sunday just his ninth appearance and third start in the top-flight. However, three of those starts have come in Sunderland’s last four games, while he’s played at least some part in each of their last five matches across all competitions.
O’Nien showed why he was given another run against Spurs, putting in an excellent performance that yielded six clearances, an interception and two of four duels won, while he also showed far more composure on the ball with a 90% pass accuracy and 100% dribble success - helping the Black Cats keep a clean sheet and pick up three points.
Sunderland players ranked by Premier League minutes
After the match, Regis Le Bris explained his decision to keep O’Nien in the starting line-up, admitting he wasn’t sure if the defender would be able to rise to the Premier League level, but praising him for changing opinions. "He's doing well," Le Bris said, adding: "He's showing now that he's able to be competitive at that level. We didn't know before, and he had to wait for his opportunities. He worked hard, he's a brilliant club captain, always well-connected with the lads. He sets the tone every day, so it's a big symbol for us."
O’Nien now has 317 Premier League minutes under his belt and will look to increase that total when Sunderland travel to Aston Villa on Sunday. But where does he rank among the rest of his teammates?
- Robin Roefs - 2,610
- Trai Hume - 2,593
- Omar Alderete - 2,446
- Enzo Le Fée - 2,396
- Noah Sadiki - 2,387
- Granit Xhaka - 2,363
- Nordi Mukiele - 2,247
- Dan Ballard - 2,008
- Reinildo Mandava - 1,520
- Brian Brobbey - 1,460
- Lutsharel Geertruida - 1,415
- Chemsdine Talbi - 1,338
- Habib Diarra - 1,193
- Wilson Isidor - 1,069
- Eliezer Mayenda - 756
- *Simon Adingra - 658
- Chris Rigg - 645
- Bertrand Traoré - 639
- Romaine Mundle - 401
- Luke O'Nien - 317
- Dennis Cirkin - 302
- Melker Ellborg - 270
- Nilson Angulo - 257
- *Jenson Seelt - 134
- *Arthur Masuaku - 127
- Djiamgone Jocelin Ta Bi - 39
- *Patrick Roberts - 27
- *Dan Neil - 13
- *Marc Guiu - 13
Stats via WhoScored, * denotes players no longer in the Sunderland squad.
O’Nien’s full game against Spurs moved him past Dennis Cirkin, Melker Ellborg, and Nilson Angulo in Sunderland’s minutes rankings. Starting against Villa would see him leapfrog the injured Romaine Mundle. However, he remains far behind the squad's most-used players, including leader Robin Roefs and outfield mainstays Trai Hume, Omar Alderete, and Enzo Le Fée. In addition to praising O’Nien, Le Bris also left the door open for the likes of Hume and Chemsdine Talbi to return to his starting line-up, given they were harshly benched following strong performances in the derby win over Newcastle United.
“I had to make choices and it's my job," he said. "I think the connection is key and it's important to be clear, honest and to build more than the starting eleven. We need a group of 14, 15 players able to play and to be competitive at that level. After that we'll have one starting eleven today against Tottenham, we might have another one later if everyone is still connected with the idea. The mentality of the group is good, so we need now to step up towards this mindset."