View: Sunderland have Eliezer Mayenda dilemma after 25% showing v Blackburn
Regis Le Bris has a decision to make on the inclusion of Eliezer Mayenda after a poor performance for Sunderland against Blackburn on Boxing Day.
The Black Cats earned a point at Ewood Park in a 2-2 draw with Blackburn, which saw Chris Rigg beat Gareth Bale’s EFL record before suffering an unfortunate injury.
While it was disappointing to have conceded a late equaliser, Sunderland will take the positives from a well-earned point against one of the Championship’s most in-form teams as their search for promotion goes on.
One negative from the game was the performance of Mayenda who had the chance to win the game in the dying minutes but a lack of composure saw the chance go begging and his inclusion against Stoke may be considered.
Eliezer Mayenda was the one negative for Sunderland v Blackburn
Mayenda has actually adapted fairly well to his newly found wing role in the absence of Romaine Mundle and Tommy Watson having impressed against in some games while disappointing in other Championship encounters.
Unfortunately for the Black Cats, his performance against Rovers edged more towards the latter.
According to FotMob, the Spaniard completed just 60 per cent of his 10 attempted passes in the game which is a poor return by all means.
Things didn’t get much better when it came to his creative assets either, having completed just two dribbles in the game despite seven attempts while failing to complete a single cross.
His only shot of the game was off target with his impact in the final third very minimal on Boxing Day.
Just 25 per cent of his ground duels resulted in Sunderland winning possession of the ball while he failed to win any of his aerial duels.
Sunderland aren’t blessed with wide options but the return of Ian Poveda could potentially provide Le Bris with an option on Sunday.
In other Sunderland news, Don Goodman believes one player deserves more credit.
For more Sunderland news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.