Sunderland boss makes honest Lutsharel Geertruida admission and reflects on Brighton selection
Sunderland earned a point on the road at the Amex Stadium
Régis Le Bris praised Lutsharel Geertruida as the RB Leipzig loanee again showed his versatility to help Sunderland land a valuable point against Brighton.
With Noah Sadiki having departed to represent DR Congo at the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, Geertruida came back into the starting XI as a holding midfielder alongside Granit Xhaka. Geertruida looked comfortable through the game, highlighting why he is a 'very important' player to Le Bris and the squad.
Sunderland were also helped by a strong performance from Trai Hume at left back, helping to manage the absence of Reinildo.
“We will have to see whether we stick with this team or make changes," Le Bris said.
"It is a good option for us, we knew that. Trai is very versatile, so we knew he could play on the left. He can play on the left, on the right or as a centre-back. And he can also play in midfield. Lutsha can play everywhere in the backline and he can play as a midfielder too. It’s also a good option.
“I don’t know what his [Gerrtruida] best position is – and I’m not sure that he knows anymore either," he added. I think if you asked him, he would say that he would like to play as a right-back or as the right centre-back in a back four. But every new experience shows that he can play in lots of different positions and do really well there. That’s really important for a manager, and for the team and the squad, maybe even for his national team too. He is ready to go in different scenarios, different positions and different systems. He is a very important player for us."
Le Bris also brought Simon Adingra and Chris Rigg back into his starting XI, with both Chemsdine Talbi and Bertrand Traore away on international duty.
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Régis Le Bris delivers verdict on Sunderland's performance at Brighton
“A draw was probably a fair result," Le Bris said.
"We had two parts to the game. Until 65 or 70 minutes, we were dominant, especially for a team playing away from home. We showed good qualities, great character. We were controlling the ball, and we had opportunities to score during this period. But when you don’t score away when you have those opportunities, you can expect that the opponent will push until the end. They did well during the last 20 or 25 minutes. We stayed consistent with our deep block and kept this clean sheet.
“They crossed a lot, as expected, so we were prepared for that. We have players who are really determined to defend the box and the goal, and they did that. They defended well."