Injuries to key midfielders appear to be a curse that Sunderland fans just have to learn to live with.
He had his moment of glory at Wembley, lifting the League One Play-off trophy, but we rarely got to
see the best of Corry Evans in either that league or the two seasons that followed in the Championship.
After a hugely impressive start to his Sunderland career, we now face the prospect of Habib Diarra being unavailable until at least December, following surgery on his groin. The powerful young Senegalese midfielder appears ideally suited to the pace and physicality of Premier League football and had been performing with a maturity that belied his age. At just 21, and in only four matches, he had quickly endeared himself to the Sunderland faithful, and it was already impossible to imagine him not being on the team sheet.
His absence will be keenly felt – yet it opens up opportunities for some of the players who have largely had to be content with a place on the bench.
Le Bris also has to contend with the suspension of Reinildo. He could opt to stick with the back three that finished the Villa game, with Talbi reprising the wing-back role on the left in which he looked so effective. However, he seems more comfortable playing four at the back, and he has options aplenty to replace the Mozambique international.
Arthur Masuaku would be an experienced like-for-like replacement. Whilst Dan Ballard was the go-to defender with only ten players on the pitch, the fact that Masuaku was also given time on the pitch may indicate that he is in Le Bris’ thinking. Another alternative would be to deploy Trai Hume at left-back, and either keep Ballard in the team and move Mukiele to right-back or keep Ballard on the bench and bring Lutsharel Geertruida in at right-back.
My gut feeling is that Le Bris will revert to his favoured back four and fill Diarra’s spot in midfield.
Although Enzo Le Fée might appear to be the obvious choice to plug the midfield gap, Régis Le Bris seems to prefer to deploy his creativity in a wider role on the left.
Against Aston Villa, it was notable that Le Bris opted for Le Fée and Chemsdine Talbi in preference to Simon Adingra and Bertrand Traore. We may have seen the latter two feature at some stage if it had not been for Reinildo’s red card, but, as it stands, Le Bris appears to view Le Fée and Talbi as his creative options out wide.
Chris Rigg was entrusted with the responsibility of filling Diarra’s midfield vacancy against Villa. He showed more than enough in the time before he was withdrawn, as we went down to ten men, to justify a starting spot against Ange Postecoglou’s Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. With the home side adjusting to their new coach, this may be a game that Le Bris views as offering a realistic opportunity for an away victory, and the spark that Rigg offers may be perfect for this scenario.
The approach to the Manchester United fixture at Old Trafford may be somewhat different. The Red Devils are yet to properly find their rhythm under Rúben Amorim, but there were enough signs in their victory over Chelsea to indicate that they will present a real challenge.
In those circumstances, it would be no surprise to see a change in approach from Le Bris. Dan Neil will provide better defensive cover than Rigg for that game. His vision and ability to deliver long passes to release whichever striker Le Bris opts for may be a more potent tactical option, if the set-up is designed to contain United’s creative talent and catch them on the break. A repeat of his assists for Wilson Isidor against Oxford and Hull would be very welcome!
With games at home to Wolves, Arsenal, and Everton to come, and difficult fixtures away at Chelsea and Fulham in November, followed by a testing run of matches in early December, Le Bris may well rotate his midfielders to adapt to the opposition. If Simon Adingra or Bertrand Traore demonstrate that they are ‘properly connected with the group’ by then, Enzo Le Fée may once again come into the discussion.
Whatever solutions Le Bris eventually settles on to cover Diarra’s absence, the importance of this summer’s recruiting could not be better demonstrated. All too often in recent times, an injury to a key player has left us trying to fit round pegs into square holes. There may be no like-for-like replacement for Habib Diarra, but Régis Le Bris does have plenty of options to consider.
