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Sunderland will be looking to build on their fine Premier League form when they face Everton at the Stadium of Light
Returning from the international break and a defeat at Manchester United that was disappointing though very far from disastrous, it felt like this was a Sunderland XI that while relatively settled still had some key positions up for grabs.
Back-to-back wins, first against Wolves and then incredibly impressively against Chelsea, have moved the Black Cats closer to the core of a very settled and high-performing XI. As such, you can look ahead to Everton's visit to the Stadium of Light on Monday night and say with a good degree of certainty that the majority of Régis Le Bris's starting XI is not far off being set in stone.
Having initially been used as an impact substitute, Wilson Isidor has forced his way into a starting berth and has firmly established himself as Sunderland's starting striker for the time being. The goals are one thing - Isidor now has four in nine and leading the line for a time that is superb out of possession but still building its creative capacity, that is a very impressive return. Most notable, though, is just how much Isidor's all-round game is improving. Any striker for a newly-promoted team has to double up as their first defender out of possession, and Isidor's intelligence and diligence is key to the structure so frustrating opposition teams. What will please Le Bris the most is the balance he has in this department, with Brian Brobbey and Eliezer Mayenda having an impact off the bench when replacing Isidor in the last few games. Both will be determined to push Isidor for his place in the XI in the coming weeks and months, but right now the template is working nicely. Isidor is putting in an immense shift, before Brobbey or Mayenda can pick up the baton and offer something a bit different depending on the game situation heading towards the final half an hour.
It's a similar story on the left flank, where Enzo Le Fée has produced to excellent back-to-back performances. Like Isidor, it's his excellent defensive work and application that has allowed him to cement a spot in the team, but as each week passes he is beginning to grow in confidence on the ball. Against Wolves there was his work in the build up to the opening goal, while at Stamford Bridge there was that gorgeous ball over the top that resulted in Granit Xhaka nearly scoring a breakaway goal. In both of the last two games, Chemsdine Talbi has then been introduced to devastating impact on the left, benefiting from driving against the tired legs of the opposition. And though his red card led to some discussion over how quickly he would return to the XI, Reinildo’s outstanding performance at Chelsea was a firm reminder of why he is first choice on the left of defence.
Sunderland's back-to-back wins have also seen Dan Ballard re-establish himself in the starting XI - producing two towering performances that have been to the overall success of the team. The Premier League is increasingly becoming more direct and more physical, and Ballard is a perfect player for Sunderland in both boxes. That shouldn't mean the improvement in his game on the ball goes unnoticed, however. The progress he has made over the last two years has been vast, and is the key reason he has been able to step up the level with few difficulties.
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The three huge decisions Régis Le Bris will need to make ahead of Everton's visit to the Stadium of Light
There are still a few major decisions for Le Bris to make ahead of Monday's game, even if generally most positions have settled and become relatively easy to pick.
One, and the most crucial, is whether he opts to stick with the hybrid formation that worked so well at Stamford Bridge despite what the head coach admitted was a pretty sticky first fifteen minutes. Sunderland have increasingly moved to a 5-4-1 shape out of possession this season, and that paved the way for Lutsharel Geertruida's full debut against Chelsea. Le Bris's clever way of ensuring this didn't make Sunderland too defensive was to push Trai Hume into midfield when his side won the ball back, with Nordi Mukiele then shuffling round to right back. Geertruida's performance was very strong and it would be harsh in the extreme to leave him out, but this will be a completely different game on home turf and Le Bris may well want another midfielder - most probably Chris Rigg - in his XI.
Even then, Le Bris has a couple of big calls to make. Omar Alderete could well be back from a concussion and has been one of the pivotal players in Sunderland's early-season success. Ballard's strong form, however, may give the Black Cats the opportunity to ease Alderete back into action and especially if his training time this week is limited as he goes through the concussion protocols.
And one of the very few positions that no one has quite been able to make their own is over on the right flank. Bertrand Traoré has started the last three games but is still searching for his first goal contribution, which could potentially open the door either for Talbi or Simon Adingra. The issue is that both are more comfortable off the left, and playing the former on the right from the start would potentially mean Le Bris loses one of his best options from the bench. That might mean Traoré continues for the time being and to his credit, he overcame a slightly slow start at Chelsea to play an important part in Sunderland finding their feet both in and out of possession.
It's a tricky selection for Le Bris and one where he can't avoid upsetting some players who will rightly feel they deserve to be in the team. But he'll be viewing that in its own way as a major positive - he has more game changing options on the bench now than he has had any stage of his tenure on Wearside. And as we saw at Chelsea, those 'finishers' can be the difference.
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