Sunderland’s head coach has some major selection dilemmas ahead of this weekend’s game
Régis Le Bris says Bertrand Traoré could yet feature in Sunderland's final day clash with Chelsea.
The experienced winger has made just one appearance for Sunderland since departing for AFCON in December, suffering a recurrence of the knee injury he picked up representing Burkina Faso in that competition when introduced as a substitute in the 1-0 win over Leeds at Elland Road back in March.
Traoré has been available for Sunderland's last two Premier League fixtures having resumed full training, but Le Bris has opted to go with Nilson Angulo and Jocelin Ta Bi in his place. Traoré's Sunderland contract expires this summer and though the club have the option to extend for a further year, it is far from clear that they will take it. Le Bris says a complicated recovery from injury has played a part in his decision and that he will reassess the situation ahead of Chelsea's visit to the Stadium of Light.
"I had to make a choice, I told the players in the dressing room that Berto is really important for us," Le Bris said.
"Today he wasn't in the squad because the other wingers did well in the week. They work hard and they were ready. Berto is a bit further behind because of his re-injury but he's still connected with the group and next week we'll see."
Le Bris also sprung a surprise with his decision to bring Angulo into the starting XI ahead of Chemsdine Talbi, and said ahead of the game that it was due to his impressive performances in training. Talbi was introduced as a substitute early in the second half and will be firmly in contention this weekend.
"We now have our wingers available, which wasn't the case during the season," Le Bris said.
"So it's an opportunity for Nilson Angulo who joined us in the winter to play again, and he showed that he is in good form during the training session so he deserves an opportunity. With our wingers on the bench, we'll have options as well during the game. So we always need starters and finishers, and you need to accept the competition, and it's good for the team."
Sunderland will be without Dan Ballard again due to suspension on Sunday, while Luke O’Nien is on standby to start as the Black Cats weigh up an injury to Omar Alderete.
RLB praises his Sunderland squad after latest comeback win
Sunderland now have a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe next season, with a win over Chelsea enough to take them into the top eight if Brentford fail to beat Liverpool final day. They could also catch Brighton and qualify for the Europa League if they beat Chelsea and Fabian Hürzeler’s side lose to Manchester United.
The comeback win over Everton which has set the stage for final day means Sunderland have now taken 22 points from losing positions this season, more than any other team in the league. The Sunderlan head coach said he was proud of the resilience his team have shown.
“The team never loses its head,” he said.
“We always stay connected, which is good for many reasons. Firstly the character of the players, they are sometimes emotional but they have strong personality and character. And also the way we play. We feel we control the game, we can concede a goal, that's possible, because football is unpredictable and the opponent can do well but over 100 minutes we have time to come back. It's a big achievement as a club and a manager. I'm getting more experienced now. It's so exciting to challenge the best managers in the league, it’s a really good environment.”
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