French striker Wilson Isidor has provided his thoughts on Regis Le Bris’ idea of playing him as a sole-striker against Plymouth Argyle.
Sunderland are set to face off against Middlesbrough on Monday evening, where they will be hoping to return to winning ways.
Last time out, the Black Cats fell to a late Plymouth Argyle goal at the Stadium of Light to level up the game. In truth, Sunderland were lucky to come away with that one point, let alone all three after a toothless display against the league’s most out-of-form side.
In particular, Sunderland struggled to make a significant impact in the final third, which many put down to the defensive shape that saw Salis Abdul Samed introduced into the side, with Eliezer Mayenda dropping to the bench.
The tactical decision making by French boss Regis Le Bris received some criticism after the game, and Wilson Isidor has now had his honest say on it.
Sunderland attacker Wilson Isidor admits Regis Le Bris tactic vs Plymouth Argyle made him feel ‘alone’
The Black Cats showed very little in the final third against Plymouth Argyle, something that could be down to the exclusion of Mayenda from the starting side.
Despite adding to his goalscoring tally against the Pilgrims, 24-year-old forward Isidor admitted that he preferred playing alongside Spanish attacker Mayenda.
Per Sunderland Echo, Isidor said: “It’s true that sometimes when I play up front by myself I can feel a little bit alone. When Eliezer is playing with me, it brings more defenders onto him and creates more space for me to be able to run into. I like that.
“When it is Jobe or Chris Rigg playing as the nearest player to me, they tend to play more deep. They play deeper, so it can feel like I am playing a little bit alone. Sometimes, that is better for the team though, and those players still have the quality to give me the ball.
“It doesn’t matter too much to me, the most important thing is to win whether we play with one striker or two. I just want to score goals to make the team win.”
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Regis Le Bris must prioritise attacking prowess in upcoming fixtures
Looking at Sunderland’s next set of games, they should be picking up a handful of wins, with the trip to Leeds United looking like the only game where the Black Cats won’t be the favourites.
The set-up that Le Bris deployed against Plymouth Argyle would be perfect for the clash against Leeds United, with that extra stability proving necessary in the centre-of-the-park.
However, when Sunderland need to take the game to their opposition and start on the front foot, Le Bris needs to revert back to a front-two of Isidor and Mayenda, with this formation supplying the most attacking success.
As shown by Isidor’s thoughts, he needs that support in attack in order to really show his true quality, and Mayenda is the perfect man to do that, especially in the upcoming games, with Middlesbrough the first opportunity for Le Bris to appease his striker partnership.