Three big Sunderland changes Régis Le Bris will be considering for Wolves clash - and two he probably won't

Régis Le Bris has some big decisions to make at Sunderland this week as the Black Cats look to bounce back from their heavy defeat from Nottingham Forest at Molineux this weekend.

Here, we take a closer look at the options available to the Sunderland head coach and assess what he might and might not change for the clash with Wolves...

Three changes RLB could make for Wolves clash

Bring Reinildo back into the starting XI

Reinildo had been one of the players impacted by a sickness bug at Villa Park a week previous to the Nottingham Forest defeat, and was noticeably below the very high standard he has set for himself this season. Trai Hume's impact off the bench in that game, in which he scored his first Premier League goal and played a key part in the team's unlikely initial comeback, earned him a recall to the starting XI.

Hume has been excellent all campaign and his consistency has made it very difficult for Le Bris to leave him out, but it would be hard to argue that this was a change which worked out. Sunderland were off the pace all over the pitch, and so this isn't to say one selection decision was defining in the result. However, Reinildo has proved over the course of the campaign that he is arguably the best 1-v-1 defender at the club and as a natural left footer, he offers a better balance to the side overlapping in attack. If fully fit, as he appeared to be in the second half against Nottingham Forest, his recall to the starting XI this weekend is surely certain.

Recall Chemsdine Talbi

The winger has been unfortunate not to start since his starring role in the Tyne-Wear derby last month, though it's only fair to point out that Enzo Le Fée and Chris Rigg got through a lot of good work against both Spurs and Aston Villa. Le Fée in particular is arguably one of the in-form players in the squad at the moment, and was unlucky not to add to his goal contribution tally further over the course of the last couple of games: his place in the XI is not in question.

Rigg has also been making huge strides but the return of Talbi would add a little more natural width and pace in the wide areas as Sunderland look to bounce back from two disappointing results. One issue with this would be that with a lot of wingers currently injured, naming Talbi in the XI would leave Le Bris with little in the way of attacking game changers on the bench unless Jocelin Ta Bi is able to return to the squad.

Le Bris was quick to point out in his post-match press conference that his decision to bring Rigg off at half time against Nottingham Forest was not a reflection of his own individual performance, but merely because of his desire to shore things up and get an extra defender off the pitch. He'll have a big part to play over the next few games and if Le Bris does want to keep him in the starting XI, he does have another option...

And make big Enzo Le Fée call

Almost two years into his tenure at Sunderland, we have seen enough to know that there is little chance of Le Bris overreacting to one heavy defeat. Any changes will be tweaks, rather than a fundamental overhaul. One option, however, would be to move Le Fée back into a central midfield role and to recall Talbi on the left flank where he is most comfortable and dangerous driving infield on his stronger right foot.

It would be a big call for Le Bris to make as though Habib Diarra was one of many players to struggle against Nottingham Forest, he had shown signs of progress in the two fixtures previous even accounting for his late miss against Aston Villa. As the club's record signing, there will clearly be a determination to give him the Premier League experience he needs to try and build confidence and momentum ahead of next season where he will have a vital role. That may well convince Le Bris to persist with his current set up but there's certainly a strong argument that he team would benefit from Le Fée being in a position where he can get more touches of the ball in dangerous areas.

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Two changes we think RLB is very unlikely to make

Going two up top

Sunderland improved in the second half against Nottingham Forest, offering a bit more of a threat when Wilson Isidor was introduced up front alongside Brian Brobbey. It has to be said that was at least in part because the visitors understandably started pressing much less aggressively as they sat on their four-goal lead, having brought on two defenders to ensure they didn't give Sunderland a route back into the game. As such, it's hard to imagine Le Bris moving away from his preferred formation on the strength of this second half alone.

Isidor may have to settle for a place on the bench again as a result, but it was clear that his goal at Villa Park has given him a welcome confidence boost. That will certainly give him another opportunity to impress with a likely extended cameo from the bench. Perform well again and he'll a very strong case to start against Manchester United.

Bringing back Lutsharel Geertruida

Like Talbi, Geertruida can consider himself exceptionally unfortunate not to get more minutes since performing well in the Tyne-Wear derby. However, Nordi Mukiele's status as the club's first-choice right back is well established and though Sunderland were defensively poor against Nottingham Forest both Dan Ballard and Omar Alderete have been vital players over the course of the campaign. As harsh as it might be, it's tough to see Geertruida's route into the starting XI between now and the end of the campaign without injury or suspension.

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