Sunderland have been dreaming of a return to the Premier League after being promoted from the Championship last season, but were hit with a real check on Sunday.
The Black Cats still have a way to go in their journey under Regis Le Bris after they were beaten 1-0 by Port Vale in the fifth round of the FA Cup, failing to progress to the quarter-finals.
Fighting for a major trophy and a chance to play European football would have been the icing on the cake for Premier League survival this season, but it didn’t happen.
Many of Sunderland’s players failed to step up against the League One side on Sunday, as the away side failed to score from the four ‘chances’ they created.
Eliezer Mayenda, who started this match as the ninth player, missed his ‘big chance’ and lost 13 out of 17 duels, unable to cope with the situation of the third team.
Why Le Bris should not abandon Mayenda
Despite such a disappointing performance in a poor result against the League One side last weekend, the Spanish striker should not be left out of the squad for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brighton.
With Brian Brobbey missing through injury, Mayenda remains the best option for Le Bris to pick at number nine due to his dangerous pace and his ability to get off the finish line.
The Spanish U21 player recently scored a goal in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth in the top flight at the end of December, his second league goal this season.
Mayenda has one goal in his last two Premier League games, with Sunderland picking up four points in those two games, and should be kept in the squad for the game against Brighton.
However, there is a flop for the Black Cats that must be dropped after the defeat at Port Vale because it has been worse than Mayenda.
Sunderland’s flop to be dropped is Le Bris
The Spanish striker should keep his place in the starting line-up because he has provided some production in the final third in recent games, but that has not been the case for one of the flankers.
Chemsdine Talbi failed to create opportunities for his teammates and scored three unsuccessful shots in 68 minutes starting on the left side against Port Vale.
The poor performance of the Moroccan player was more disappointing than Mayenda’s because his Premier League form was not there, which means that the cup match was an opportunity for him to put his foot forward.
He has now failed to provide a goal or assist in his last five games and has been an unused substitute in the last two Premier League games, as he begins to look like a new Jeremain Lens.
After joining Dynamo Kyiv in 2015, Lens scored two goals and provided two assists in his first eight league appearances. However, the Dutchman then scored one goal and assisted one goal in his last 12 appearances, before joining Fenerbahce and Besiktas on loan and signing permanently in 2018.
Like Lens, Talbi enjoyed a strong start to his Sunderland career after his £18m move from Club Brugge, scoring one goal and providing two assists in his first nine league appearances.
|
Talbi (25/26 Premier League) |
First 9 games |
Last 14 games |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearance |
9 |
12 |
|
Unused substitutes |
0x |
2x |
|
Goals |
1 |
2 |
|
It helps |
2 |
0 |
Unfortunately, however, he has produced just two goals in 12 Premier League games since his immediate start, failing to come off the bench in two of his last 14 appearances.
Apart from a stunning strike against Burnley in February, Talbi has contributed very little to the team in attack since returning from the African Cup of Nations earlier this year.
The Moroccan star is similar to Lens in that the ability is clearly there, as shown by his quality times and fast start to the season, but he has not been consistent enough with his performance.
That’s why Le Bris should drop him in the side when he clashes with Brighton in the future, hoping that he will use these experiences to learn and improve for the future, to avoid being the next Lens of Sunderland.
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The whites entered the negotiations.
