Eliezer Mayenda key to Sunderland promotion hopes, he must start v Luton
Eliezer Mayenda has been named on the bench for all of Sunderland’s last three Championship encounters, he simply must start going forward.
Sunderland are still in the hunt for promotion despite dropping two points at home to Watford on Saturday (8 February), but that can all change if the wrong decisions are made.
Goals have been hard to come by at times for the Wearsiders, having failed to win a single encounter by more than one goal since the injury to Romaine Mundle back in November.
That inability to kill games off has seen them drop many points that come the end of the season, could prove rather costly.
To remedy that, Regis Le Bris has a very simple decision to make.
Eliezer Mayenda needs to start for Sunderland
With the absence of Tommy Watson and Mundle, the Black Cats have needed other attacking players to step up to the plate and contribute in the final third.
Mayenda has done just that, and yet he finds himself on the bench more often than not with Patrick Roberts usually preferred over the Spaniard.
Whether Le Bris goes back to a system that utilises two up top or simply drops Roberts to accommodate Mayenda, he needs to be starting games.
Via FotMob, Mayenda has averaged a goal contribution every 154 minutes, the best out of anyone on Wearside. Mundle is a close second with one every 171 minutes, with Roberts at the opposite end, taking 317 minutes per contribution.
His introduction against the Hornets nearly won the Black Cats the game, with his directness creating an excellent chance for Wilson Isidor who saw his effort saved in the dying minutes.
Luton encounter is a must-win for Sunderland
Given the dropped points at the weekend, Sunderland need to pick up all three at home to Luton if they are to maintain their promotion credentials.
Those above them are starting to pull away and with a potential promotion six-pointer against Leeds approaching, they need to enter that clash with momentum.
Luton have been struggling all season and anything less than a win would be seen as a poor result, especially with how tight the promotion race has been up to this point.