Sunderland are away in Wales on Saturday afternoon, where Regis Le Bris picked up his first win in his first game in charge of the Black Cats.
Sunderland’s 2024/25 season started with a 2-0 win away at Cardiff City. For Regis Le Bris, it was the perfect start to life at the club, coming after what looked like a very mixed pre-season.
Since, the Black Cats’ form has dwindled. They’ve won just one of their last eight in the Championship and now sit in 4th place of the Championship table, and five points behind leaders Sheffield United.
In midweek, the Black Cats were frustrated. Sunderland scored late to draw 1-1 with Bristol City in a game at the Stadium of Light, and matters don’t get any easier with a trip to Swansea City on Saturday afternoon.
The Swans are unbeaten in four and sit in 9th place of the table. To make matters worse, Sunderland gem Tommy Watson has suffered an injury and will miss the next two months, leaving Le Bris with a headache in attack with Romaine Mundle still sidelined.
Regis Le Bris must consider shock start for Adil Aouchiche vs Swansea City
Adil Aouchiche has been a talking point at Sunderland this season, despite him having made just three substitute appearances in the Championship this season.
But the 22-year-old shone in his last cameo. Sunderland fans praised Aouchiche’s performance against Bristol City with the Frenchman coming off the bench to set up Patrick Roberts for the late equaliser.
It’s since been reported that Sunderland are ready to sell Aouchiche in January. Le Bris though might want to take one last look at the midfielder before making a firm decision on his future.
With Watson and Mundle both injured and no obvious option to replace them on the left side of the attack, throwing Aouchiche in for a shock start, and a real chance to impress, could prove a masterstroke.
Against Bristol City, Aouchiche recorded 10 touches of the ball in a 10-minute cameo, completing five out of six passes (85% accuracy), also making one key pass and recording a shot on target.
Mike Dodds could play role in Adil Aouchiche revival at Sunderland
Last season was Aouchiche’s first at the club. He showed definite glimpses of a player with potential in his 28 Championship outings, with two goals and two assists, albeit without blowing anyone away.
Mike Dodds though was impressed with Aouchiche. After Aouchiche’s strong performance for Sunderland against Leicester City back in March, Dodds said: “I thought Adil was excellent when he came on.
“We’ve got Adil in a good spot in terms of his concentration, and I said to him after the game, ‘You’ve got to stay on this path now – you can’t come away from the direction you’re going’.
“I was really happy with Adil and the impact that he made coming off the bench.”
Having had the learning curve of last season, and having impressed off the bench last time out, Aouchiche might now be ready to be reintroduced to the XI.
For Le Bris, there’s few other options and arguably little to lose. With Aouchiche facing an uncertain January as well, Le Bris will surely want to see Aouchiche in a game from the off – it could easily unearth another hidden gem for the club.