Regis Le Bris has to axe Patrick Roberts after what he did v Oxford United
Sunderland’s final game of the season has suddenly become one of huge importance.
The Black Cats have had an excellent season, securing their play-off spot well in advance of the end of the campaign.
However, as they prepare to take on QPR on Saturday (3 May), they are now in need of a serious upturn in performance.
Regis Le Bris’ side comes into this game without a win in five games, meaning they need to pick up a result against QPR to head into the play-offs with some momentum.
Marco Gabbiadini highlights Sunderland issues
Last time out, Sunderland fell to a 2-0 defeat against Oxford United, a side that only just secured their survival in the Championship.
It was an underwhelming afternoon from the North Eastern side, with too many squad members performing well below the expected levels.
With just one game to go before the play-offs, the nerves have set in at the Stadium of Light, with a number of improvements needed.
Former Sunderland man Marco Gabbiadini did not hold back in his analysis of the issues at Sunderland, calling out Le Bris for some of his decisions.
Gabbiadini also highlighted Patrick Roberts for his poor performance as he said live on BBC Radio Newcastle (29 April): “There was some really anonymous performances. Roberts was just completely ineffectual.”
Le Bris has to axe Roberts against QPR
With Saturday’s game now having increased importance, Le Bris has to be prepared to make some brutal calls because something has to change in the team.
No one covered themselves in too much glory against Oxford but in his 70 minutes on the pitch, Roberts did not offer much at all.
The winger did not register a shot on target and failed to touch the ball in the opposition’s box even once, with just 39 touches in the whole game [FotMob].
Roberts also failed to assist his teammates in pushing forward, having made just four passes into the final third as well as no accurate crosses.
| Roberts v Oxford United | |
| Minutes played | 70 |
| Shots on target | 0 |
| Touches | 39 |
| Touches in the opposition box | 0 |
| Passes into the final third | 4 |
| Accurate crosses | 0% |
| Duels won | 25% |
The 28-year-old is one of the more experienced players in Sunderland’s squad but having lost the majority of his duels, he certainly didn’t show the leadership that would have been expected of him.
Le Bris can’t allow his side to go into the play-offs in their current form and with that in mind, this call seems an obvious one to make.