Sunderland have had plenty of breakout stars this season, but Eliezer Mayenda’s impact has lessened in recent weeks due to the way Regis Le Bris has utilised him.
With the Black Cats flying high in the Championship as we approach the business end of the season, Regis Le Bris will need every single player to contribute and get them over the line in the promotion race.
Whether Sunderland are capable of surpassing their rivals in the league remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure, the Mackems have plenty of ways to hurt teams.
Eliezer Mayenda is certainly one of those threats, but we’ve seen less of him in the last few games, and Le Bris has explained exactly why that is.
Eliezer Mayenda is an ideal impact sub for Regis Le Bris
Speaking to the Northern Echo, the Sunderland manager discussed Mayenda’s current role in the squad, and why he believes the 19-year-old could be more impactful from the bench.
“I think the situation is perfect right now. Eliezer is still in the process of learning. Last season I don’t know how many minutes he had but not many. Now he is a very important player for the team, even as a sub.
“In every successful team you have subs who make a difference. They want to play more minutes, that’s fair and it’s good ambition but at the same time right now Wilson [Isidor] has been really good from the beginning of the season until now.
“But we also have Eli who can replace Wilson as the number nine or play as a second striker, and we can produce a new set-up which can unbalance the other team, so it’s perfect.”
Indeed, Le Bris has often paired Mayenda with Wilson Isidor in a 4-4-2 formation to great success, but when reverting to his more common 4-5-1, Mayenda is always the one to miss out.
Regis Le Bris could live to regret limiting Mayenda’s impact
Sunderland fans have begged Le Bris to use Mayenda more, and to keep him in the striker role rather than forcing him out wide onto the wing.
Those requests have largely been ignored of late, with Le Bris benching the Spaniard for the last three matches. Ultimately, Sunderland have missed Mayenda, and Isidor appears to be suffering as a result of his absence, too.
With Isidor looking more isolated than ever currently, surely Le Bris will cave and throw Mayenda back into the starting lineup soon. In fact, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him in the Sunderland lineup versus Luton Town tonight, as the Black Cats look to put the struggling Hatters to the sword.
Either way, Mayenda will still have a big role to play for the rest of the season for Sunderland. He provides goals, assists, and is a constant thorn in the side for opposition defences, and he’s just the kind of player that can make the difference in those games where Sunderland need something special.