It is difficult to be too critical of a manager who has just led a team to promotion, but…
…from my vantage point in the Roker End, I often found myself frustrated with the apparent reluctance of our French coach to make changes during a game. My perception was that our opponents were invariably more willing to introduce fresh legs into the fray, while our own substitutes rarely appeared before the final quarter of the match.
Before settling down to write this, I conducted a far-from-scientific analysis of last season’s fixtures, looking to see if what I recalled matched with the evidence.
To a large extent, it was an exercise which at least reassured me that my memory hadn’t entirely let me down. As I skipped through the line-ups, certain patterns began to emerge about how Le Bris deployed his options from the bench:
It was only on rare occasions that any substitutions were made before the 70th minute.
The most common number of substitutes introduced during any game was two.
It was extremely rare for four of the five substitutes to be used, and that was predominantly during the last few meaningless fixtures.
There was only one occasion I could find where all five available players made it onto the field.
(For the avoidance of doubt, I fully expect there will be more statistically competent readers who will rush to rubbish my findings!)
Sunderland v Real Betis - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
Time and time again, from the stands, I had watched with dismay as our undoubtedly talented young players found themselves pitched up against fresher legs in the second half. The predictable 60th-minute changes from Tony Mowbray were no more, as Le Bris appeared to have little faith in the options available to him. The quality on the bench will undoubtedly have influenced his decision-making. At times, unless it was the 88th-minute introduction of Leo Hjelde, it almost appeared that it required an injury to force the Frenchman to turn to his substitutes.
There is a balance to be struck between keeping your most talented players on the pitch and offsetting that with fresher options – at times, such as Swansea away, the former approach paid off handsomely. On other occasions, it was rather less successful.
Such an approach is unlikely to withstand the challenges of a Premier League season, with the pace and intensity that our opponents will bring. They are already conditioned to the rigours of football at the highest level. And there will be players who will have cost more than anyone in our team, who will be introduced mid-game, fresh and raring to go.
It is already apparent that some of our new signings, such as Diarra and Sadiki, are high-intensity players with incredible engines. But, at 21 and 20, they are still young players whose workload will need to be managed.
Sunderland v Real Betis - Pre-Season Friendly
Photo by Ed Sykes/Getty Images
It is not just the physical aspect that will necessitate a more proactive mindset. We will also need much greater tactical flexibility if we are going to compete with the established teams. Sticking to the principles that got you promoted isn’t necessarily a recipe for Premier League success – just ask Southampton and Russell Martin! Having players coming off the bench who can adjust our team’s system to pose entirely different challenges to opponents is an absolute must.
So, can we expect to see a change of tack from our French maestro? That will depend heavily on the squad that Le Bris has at his disposal. With Marc Guiu on track to become the ninth acquisition since Wembley, it is clear that the club is working hard to provide him with players of the talent and work ethic he will need. Le Bris has already shown a quietly ruthless streak with those who he doesn’t rate, as players such as Pierre Ekwah can testify. Those arriving now are players who have been recruited with Le Bris’ approval. Added to the core of players in whom he put his trust to gain promotion, and those still to arrive, Le Bris should be able to turn to his bench and see viable options all along it.
A more tactically diverse approach to game management will also be reliant on the coaching team that has been built around Le Bris.
Luciano Vulcano, Isidre Ramon Madir and Neil Cutler have arrived to supplement Alessandro Barcherini and Michael Proctor. They bring experience of top-level football in Italy, Spain and England. When in-game changes are needed, Le Bris will have a coaching team around him who can provide high-quality analysis to inform his decision-making.
Sunderland Pre-Season Training
Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images
In two weeks’ time, we will be lining up against teams who will pose a completely different challenge to anything that Le Bris has faced in his relatively short senior coaching career. On the opposing bench, there will be coaches who will have the experience and personnel available to potentially nullify whatever tactical approach he chooses to employ. Never will the military adage of ‘improvise, adapt and overcome’ be more applicable.
This Premier League season will require much greater focus on how the whole matchday squad is used, not just the starting XI. The tactic of resting players in the final Championship games, in preparation for the adrenaline-fuelled ‘Til the End’ playoff fixtures, was a luxury that we will not be afforded this season. Hopefully, by the time the transfer window closes, there will be nine genuinely viable potential substitutes on the bench from which Le Bris can introduce up to five.
With the right mix of players on the bench, and the coaching experience that will sit alongside him, will the challenge of the Premier League deliver a more dynamic, proactive, adaptable Régis Le Bris than we have seen thus far?