How did Sunderland manage to sign Noah Sadiki?
Sunderland came from behind to beat Chelsea on Saturday thanks to Chemsdine Talbi’s late winner
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris switched to a back five out of possession for the game, handing Lutsharel Geertruida his first Premier League start since joining on loan from RB Leipzig. The Black Cats then moved into a more familiar 4-3-3 when they won the ball back, usually with Trai Hume pushing into midfield from the right of defence.
Though Sunderland have used a back five later in games on occasions, this was the first time Le Bris has used it as a starting system. Maresca has admitted that it made much of the preparation he and his side had done during the week redundant.
"The thing that we need to improve and we need to learn, and it's something that I'm saying to the players every day, is now that teams, probably because of what we achieved last season, teams have changed against us," Maresca said.
"Sunderland, nine games in the Premier League, they never played with a back five from the start. Never. They played nine games, I watched all the nine games from Sunderland before our game. Never. They finished with a back five, they were winning 1-0, so to defend the last 10 minutes, they had a back five. But from the start, never.
“So we prepared a Sunderland game against a back four. So before the game, in the changing room, before the players go out for a warm-up, I need to tell the players, ‘Guys, all the Sunderland preparation, put in the rubbish. That's why it's so difficult. The plan for today, now, is this. In 10 minutes, we need to change the plan. So it's different when we know that team, they are [always playing with a] back five, and we prepare with back five. And it's completely different when a team is back four every time."
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Régis Le Bris explains his Sunderland formation change at Chelsea
Le Bris revealed afterwards that the hybrid formation was designed his team could retain some attacking threat while also having the defensive security need to keep a strong side at bay.
Though Sunderland struggled through the opening exchanges, they steadied after Alejandro Garnacho's early goal to seal an early win.
Le Bris said: “It’s a good performance, especially after conceding the early goal. It wasn’t obvious that we would stay in the game, but after about 15 minutes we found the right balance.
"We had good quality on the ball with the extra body in there making four midfielders and we had the ability to defend high when it was possible. But then we could also set a deep block that was really strong, well-connected and hard to beat. That meant we could protect our goal and prevent Chelsea from getting through."
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