View: Le Bris must make obvious Luke O’Nien decision in Sunderland v Norwich
Regis Le Bris must bring Luke O’Nien back into the starting lineup when Sunderland host Norwich City on Saturday.
O’Nien is one of the most consistent performers at Sunderland and he remains a key figure despite having been out of the team in the last few encounters.
An illness caused him to miss the clash with Bristol City on 10 December and has seen him absent from the starting XI since.
He was introduced in the game against Swansea at 2-1 down and he played a key role in the second-half revival that saw the Black Cats turn the game on its head and secure an impressive 3-2 win.
His ability with the ball at his feet proved pivotal and Le Bris has to reinstate him ahead of Saturday’s fixture at the Stadium of Light (21 December).
Luke O’Nien needs to start for Sunderland
With the way Le Bris sets Sunderland up, having a player with the ability to play the ball out of defence is crucial and while Chris Mepham and Dan Ballard are exceptional defenders at this level, neither have the required attributes to succeed in that area.
While the latter did get the Black Cats back into the game with a close-range header, his position in the team has to come under harsh scrutiny in order to facilitate O’Nien’s return.
Their attacking concerns continued to show until O’Nien’s introduction when he was able to get the Black Cats a few yards further up the pitch which caused Swansea problems and ultimately contributed to the dramatic turnaround.
It is certainly a tough decision to make but it is simply one that is needed if Sunderland are to continue their promotion push.
January will provide an opportunity to strengthen in the areas required which thankfully for Sunderland, certainly doesn’t include their centre-back options.
In other Sunderland news, Amad Diallo has opened up about his loan spell on Wearside.
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