Sunderland star hung out to dry by Regis Le Bris after what happened vs Brentford – ‘Awful’
Sunderland suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat away to Brentford.
Sunderland‘s five-game unbeaten run came to an end against Brentford, and their performance warranted nothing else.
It was a scarily similar first-half display to the one at Tottenham, where the Black Cats looked lost and just completely lacked any real cohesion.
However, not for the first time, the clash at the G-Tech exposed one of Regis Le Bris‘ biggest flaws, and fans are calling for it to end.
Chris Rigg experiment is proving detrimental
Chris Rigg is an extremely talented teenager, but when played out of position, he offers absolutely nothing to this team – and that’s not his fault.
For whatever reason, Le Bris has insisted on playing Rigg as a right-winger, and this was even the case on occasions in the Championship.
However, his lack of physicality and pace is blindingly obvious, and it makes for fairly painful viewing when watching him come up against Premier League-quality full-backs.
The Black Cats may be short of options, but Le Bris needs to realise that playing him there is weakening his own team, and fans are starting to see that too.
One supporter posted on X: “Rigg 100 per cent needs a loan”, while another claimed that the teenager is “awful”.
However, when played out of position, there is little judgment that can really be passed on Rigg, and should instead be focused on the decision to play him there.
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Chris Rigg’s game by numbers vs Brentford
It took Le Bris just six minutes into the second half to make the change that everyone saw was needed, with Eliezer Mayenda on to replace Rigg.
Based on the lack of influence he had in the game, it was certainly warranted, though it’s fair to say the general performance of his teammates also followed suit.
Via FotMob, Rigg completed 15 of his 17 attempted passes, showcasing how he can be tidy on the ball when needed.
His lack of threat, though, was demonstrated by the fact that he failed to complete a single cross, dribble or register a shot in the game.
He also lost his only two duels in the game.
Rigg can make the step up to Premier League football, but if he is going to do that, Le Bris needs to play him centrally.