View: Regis Le Bris must drop 50% Chris Rigg for the greater good at Sunderland
Chris Rigg has been a standout performer for Sunderland this season but performance levels have dropped in recent weeks and it could be the perfect time to allow him to recharge.
Sunderland failed to make their domination count on Tuesday night as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Bristol City with Rigg failing to influence the game.
The 17-year-old has been a mainstay in the Black Cats’ XI, earning interest from Manchester United among several other clubs (Sunderland AFC News), but a chance to rest and recover could be of great benefit to the midfielder.
Chris Rigg shows signs of fatigue for Sunderland
It was a pretty lacklustre performance from everyone involved on 10 December but Rigg has shown signs of fatigue for the last few games and Sunderland need to protect their own players.
The Black Cats can’t afford to burn him out ahead of a hectic festive period and he must be given the chance to recover and off the back of a poor performance, it seems a perfect opportunity with Milan Aleksic waiting in the wings.
According to FotMob, Rigg failed to hit the target with any of his attempts on goal against Bristol City, missing an excellent chance on the edge of the box with one of them.
Rigg usually shines with his passing ability and that was his biggest strength mid-week having recorded an 87 per cent pass accuracy from 30 attempted passes.
The remainder of his game left a lot to be desired. The teen failed to complete either of his two attempted crosses while only completing 50 per cent of his long passes on Tuesday.
60 per cent of the defensive duels he was involved in resulted in Bristol City coming away with the ball on six occasions and creating pressure on the backline.
Rigg was hooked after 79 minutes and he should be rested for Saturday’s game against Swansea.
Sunderland simply have to manage him correctly and can’t afford to have him play every game this season.
In other Sunderland news, Patrick Roberts has responded to criticism received from supporters.
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