Regis Le Bris missed one glorious opportunity for Sunderland vs Leeds United.
Sunderland managed to claw back a late draw against Leeds United on Friday night, and it was certainly what Regis Le Bris’ side deserved from the game.
There were plenty of solid showings across the park, including from Black Cats full-back Dennis Cirkin, who put on a brilliant showing, both offensively and defensively.
Of course it was a moment of calamity in the dying embers of the match that saw Ilian Meslier somehow let the ball slip past his grasp and tumble into an empty Leeds United net, and Sunderland were certainly fortunate to earn a draw in such a fashion.
If Sunderland lost out to Leeds United at the Stadium of Light, one error in judgement that Le Bris made will have been glaringly obvious, and he must learn from it in the next fixture away at Hull City.
Regis Le Bris must learn from substitutes error for Sunderland
Whilst the performance was one that was full of positives for the Black Cats, it was one that was close to ending in defeat for Sunderland, and it was only down to the Leeds United’s shot-stopper’s costly mistake that saw them come away with a point.
Without the error, all eyes would be turned on whether Le Bris did enough from a man-management standpoint to claw back the game, and it can easily be suggested that he could have utilised his substitutions much more effectively.
There is no doubt that Alan Browne made a significant impact when he came on, and Tom Watson was certainly a worthwhile substitution, but it was a bizarre decision to see the French boss limit his amount of substitutions.
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Regis Le Bris has solid options on the bench that he must not isolate
It is clear that Le Bris has a clear vision with his side, and that is shown by the lack of rotation in his team, unless injuries or fitness concerns play a part.
Whilst it fully works in regards to starting a side that has performed on a consistent basis up until this point, it could be suggested that some of the names on the Sunderland bench on Friday evening could have made a difference late on.
There are obvious fitness concerns surrounding the new signing of Aaron Connolly, who is likely to be utilised after the international break, however he certainly could have been utilised for 10 minutes at the end to make a difference, as could Le Bris’ other signing Milan Aleksic.
The Black Cats have depth in several positions, as was prioritised by their late flurry of action in the summer transfer window, and it is important that Le Bris uses that when his side are chasing down a game late on.