Sunderland beat Wolves 2-0 in their latest Premier League fixture on Saturday
Régis Le Bris said Dan Ballard deserved his opportunity to come back into the starting XI after making the decision to reshuffle his back four in the 2-0 win over Wolves.
Ballard's return to the starting XI saw Nordi Mukiele out to right back, with Trai Hume switching flanks. The move paid off in style as the pair combined for Mukiele's opening goal, and Le Bris feels it is a viable option moving forward. Sunderland ended the win with a back five after introducing Lutsharel Geertruida, and with Reinildo returning from suspension next weekend, it's an area of the pitch where the head coach has numerous options.
“It wasn’t a new option because Trai played as a left-back last season, and probably before that too,"Le Bris said.
"Ballard deserved to play, and showed good qualities, especially against a strong striker like Strand Larsen. The balance was positive, and I think this back four showed good qualities. It was important to switch to a back five at the end, and we have different profiles and different options that allow us to do that. That kind of defensive flexibility is important."
Le Bris was handed a boost ahead of the game with Noah Sadiki and Omar Alderete both passed fit to play despite picking up knocks while on international duty.
“It was obvious from the training session [on Friday] that they really wanted to play," Le Bris said.
"The energy they showed was really good, and the feeling of the group as a whole was really positive. It was probably a good opportunity during the international break for some of the players to switch their focus and think about something else. Then when you come back, you are happy to be back with your team-mates and to play for Sunderland. They showed that in training and with the way they played in the game.”
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What Régis Le Bris said about Sunderland's win over Wolves
Le Bris said he was pleased with his team's overall performance in securing what could prove to be a crucial win.
"I'm really pleased with the first half," Le Bris said.
"It was like expected. We had our game plan, the way to manage their press. We created chances and generated a strong momentum. We scored once, which was positive.But my regret is that we didn't score the second goal. And I think it's normal to expect after this first half a reaction from our opponent. And they did well during the second half, so it was totally different. But we defended together, showed this togetherness again, this ability to suffer together, and get this clean sheet, which is positive.
"Even if, as a coach, we would like to play the first half a bit longer, like that, to dominate, to be a bit more controlled. But it's obvious that in this league, probably the second half will repeat again [in future]. And if you are strong on this side, I think it's like versatility in different phases, and we need this. It's important."
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