Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been questioned over the position in which he utilised Jobe Bellingham vs West Brom.
Sunderland beat West Brom on Saturday afternoon, as Regis Le Bris’ side further consolidated their play-off position, whilst Tony Mowbray’s Baggies side dropped down to 8th.
Trai Hume scored from a free-kick to send the Black Cats fans into hysterics, but equal praise should be delivered towards the Sunderland defence, who Mowbray mentioned to be key for Le Bris’ side to win.
On top of this, Dan Neil was impeccable in midfield for Sunderland, and he was utilised unsurprisingly alongside Jobe Bellingham, who was deployed slightly deeper against West Brom in comparison to usual.
After many noticed Bellingham’s slightly different positioning against the Baggies, Le Bris was questioned about his decision following the game.
Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris gives clarity over utilising Jobe Bellingham more cautiously vs West Brom
Sunderland’s win against West Brom saw a midfield three of Neil, Chris Rigg, and Bellingham, with the former two sat slightly ahead of Jobe, who occupied the defensive-midfield role.
After the game, Le Bris, per Sunderland Echo, was questioned over this decision, to which he said: “From the beginning of the season, we have almost always played with the same structure, with Dan and Jobe in the same position.
“I think now for the final stage of the season, it’s important, one, to keep things fresh for them and, two, to create a bit more versatility and flexibility of the team. It’s useful for us to have some more layers in our game for the future.”
The stats prove that Bellingham climatised well to the role, as, per SofaScore, he saw little of the ball, having notched just 16 passes, however, he did impeccably well on the defensive side, making four clearances and three tackles, and of course helping his side towards an away clean sheet, despite being under the cosh for the majority of the tie.
Regis Le Bris ‘versatility’ claims could be good news surrounding one star player
One of Sunderland fans’ biggest hopes is to see January signing Enzo Le Fee deployed in a central position, due to the fact that he was utilised on the left flank prior to his injury, an area in which it felt Le Bris wasn’t making the most of his brilliant talents.
However, this decision made by Le Bris and his demand for ‘more versatility and flexibility of the team’ could mean that he is trialing which of his midfielders can play more defensively in order to give him the opportunity to play Le Fee, not only centrally, but with license for freedom in the middle of the park.
Whatever the primary reason for Le Bris’ decision surrounding Jobe, it is brilliant that Sunderland have players who can drop into different roles, yet still show enough quality to carve out what was a great away win.