Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has some very welcome selection dilemmas as the season draws to a close
Régis Le Bris says he needs to build a squad at Sunderland after one of his toughest selections of the season to date against Spurs.
Despite playing a key role in the 2-1 Tyne-Wear derby win before the international break, Trai Hume and Lutsharel Geertruida dropped to the bench as Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo came back into the starting XI following their injury recoveries. Enzo Le Fée's return to the XI also saw Chemsdine Talbi drop to the bench despite his goal against Newcastle.
Le Bris admitted it was a tough call to leave Hume and Geertruida out but said growing his group of Premier League ready players was vital and that the mentality of the group was good.
"Yes and Chems as well, so I had to make choices and it's my job," he said.
"I think the connection is key and it's important to be clear, honest and to build more than the starting eleven. We need a group of 14, 15 players able to play and to be competitive at that level. After that we'll have one starting eleven today against Tottenham, we might have another one later if everyone is still connected with the idea. The mentality of the group is good, so we need now to step up towards this mindset."
One of Le Bris's biggest calls was to retain Luke O'Nien at centre back and the club stalwart delivered a strong display in the 1-0 win. Le Bris said O'Nien was showing he could an option for the club at Premier League level on a regular basis.
"He's doing well," Le Bris said.
"He's showing now that he's able to be competitive at that level. We didn't know before, and he had to wait for his opportunities. He worked hard, he's a brilliant club captain, always well-connected with the lads. He sets the tone every day, so it's a big symbol for us."
What RLB said about Sunderland’s win over Spurs
“So we had two or three main objectives today and the first one was to be adaptive because it was hard to anticipate their patterns, their shape,” Le Bris said.
“But being proactive defensively and if it was possible to generate momentum early with the ball, I think was key for this game. Probably the first 15 minutes were a bit sloppy, we lost three, four, five balls without pressure, but after that I think we were good.
“We were often in the final third today, which is good. After that, this final third, you have to manage the last choice and the last pass and we still have room for improvement because if we can be a bit more clinical, it's not the final action but just the action before, I think probably the game should have been a bit easier to manage.
“We still have a young squad, so they are intense, strong energy, but now it's a question of execution. The last choice, the last pass, probably the presence in the box as well, we still have room for improvement, but we are working hard behind the scenes so it's about small adjustments, but small adjustments at that level make the difference.”
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