Regis Le Bris said something before Bristol City which now looks incorrect, Sunderland boss should change his mind

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Sunderland drew 1-1 with Bristol City on Tuesday night in a difficult match for the home side. It took a stoppage-time equaliser to rescue a point.

It’s fair to say that the Black Cats are no longer firing on all cylinders like they were earlier in the Championship campaign.

Regis Le Bris’ side have won just one of their last eight games and their chances of automatic promotion are slowly declining.

But the race to the Premier League is far from over as only a few consecutive wins could change the complexion of the table.

One way that Le Bris can turn things around is by going against something he said before Sunderland’s 1-1 draw against Bristol City.

• READ MORE: Sunderland player ratings vs Bristol City, two 4/10 defenders but Patrick Roberts saves the day

Regis Le Bris’ comments on squad rotation

Le Bris was asked about the need to rotate players during the busy Winter period in his pre-match press conference. The Frenchman gave an interesting response.

“We manage game by game and, as I said before, with better control on the ball and out of possession, we can become more efficient,” he said.

“If you enjoy and feel the improvement game after game, I think you can recover quickly. So the management of the team is very important.

“But I think these players like playing a lot. If we have to manage rotation, we’ll do it but sometimes you can play many games in a row without problems.”

So, Le Bris thinks his players can manage their workloads within games, without needing to watch from the sidelines every now and then.

Even though the Sunderland boss has a point, that can’t be the only strategy to stop his players from burning out.

Regis Le Bris should change mind on squad rotation

Nobody wants Le Bris to make wholesale changes every week but there is definitely a case to be made that he’s not using his squad enough.

One player who looked particularly leggy against Bristol City was attacking midfielder Chris Rigg. After all, the 17-year-old is being asked to start every game at the moment.

Similarly, Jobe Bellingham, who has played the full 90 minutes in all but three league games this season, has not been at his best lately.

Elsewhere, the likes of Wilson Isidor, who has come under criticism, and Trai Hume must be low on energy after how many games they have played recently.

With six fixtures coming up in the next three-and-a-half weeks, Le Bris will not only be risking poor performances but injuries if the same players start every game.