REGIS LE BRIS accepts the time has probably come to make significant changes to his Sunderland side in order to give some of his senior performers a much-needed rest.
The Black Cats failed to win for the third time in their last four home games yesterday as Anthony Patterson’s first-half own goal condemned them to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Hull City.
A number of Sunderland’s most influential players underperformed, with Le Bris’ preferred midfield threesome of Dan Neil, Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg proving especially disappointing.
All three players have played just about every game this season, and with Friday night’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday meaning it will be another short turnaround next week, Le Bris accepts the time for alterations might have arrived.
“It's possible there's some fatigue,” conceded the Sunderland boss. “It was our 34th game today and we have had a small squad, so we can understand that we can have a low point in our dynamic.
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“The players tried - it wasn't enough today for sure. Now, we have to recover a little to build a good shape for the last stage of the season.
“The main question is the ambition, because we know to be at this level we will play many games. It's a new experience for some of the players, not the number of games, but the number of games at this (high) level to be competitive at the top of the table.
“It's a new ambition, and you have to sustain the level. It's not just the way you play the games, but the way you train, the way you recover, the way you are connected with everything. I hope we'll get this reaction in the next few days.”
If Le Bris is to make changes at Hillsborough, then the likes of Alan Browne, Milan Aleksic and Ian Poveda could come into the equation. None of the trio have played much football this season, with their head coach admitting they will either sink or swim if they find themselves in the starting line-up in the next few weeks.
“For some players, there is probably now the opportunity to help the team and be connected with the shared project,” said Le Bris. “It's a long journey with many games to play, and I hope we can find some solutions.
“We'll see if some of these players are ready because I think they will get some opportunities in the coming weeks. With young players, they still need time to develop and the main question here is the level of the team.
“To be competitive in the top six is different to the middle of the table, where you can make mistakes and learn from them. But at this level, mistakes are different because the consequences are significant. We will have to manage this situation.”
