Sunderland pulled off a dramatic victory against Coventry City at the Stadium of Light to ensure they have reached the final of this season’s Championship play-offs, but Regis Le Bris has a big tactical call to make ahead of the final against Sheffield United at Wembley Stadium.
The Black Cats defeated Frank Lampard’s Coventry by two goals to one in the first leg of their semi-final tie at the Coventry Building Society Arena, with Eliezer Mayenda punishing a Milan van Ewijk error late on after Wilson Isidor and Jack Rudoni traded goals midway through the second half.
Then, in a tense and nerve-racking second leg on Wearside, Lampard’s Coventry took the lead in the second half thanks to former Peterborough United player Ephron Mason-Clark, and they were the team with the best chance of winning the aggregate.
However, in stoppage time of the second half of extra time, the Northern Ireland international centre-back contorted his body enough to head in off the crossbar, sending Le Bris’ team to Wembley.
The Lorient manager will be concerned, however, since, despite his risk on Ballard paying off over two legs, his devotion to Patrick Roberts may be wearing thin, and a choice should be made for the final.
Romain Mundle should come in for Roberts
Roberts has been a consistent member of Sunderland’s starting eleven this season, making 38 starts and seven substitute appearances in the Championship’s regular season before starting both of their play-off semi-finals against the Sky Blues.
However, his performances against Coventry may have been indicative of a player lacking confidence or simply out of form, as he struggled to get into the game at all.
Mundle, who had an excellent start to the season before being sidelined by injury, should take his place in the play-off final.
In contrast to Roberts, who, given the amount of game time, should be in some rhythm but isn’t, Mundle came off the bench and looked sharp, providing a spark for Sunderland against Coventry when he was introduced in extra time of the second leg, injecting incision and urgency into what had previously been a lackluster performance.
| Sunderland vs Sheffield United head-to-head | |
|---|---|
| Sunderland victories | 67 |
| Draws | 26 |
| Sheffield United victories | 54 |
| Source: 11v11.com | |
Mundle has three goals in the first five games of the season, and there is speculation that the 22-year-old’s directness and incision down the sides might be more effective against an obstinate Blades defending.
Trust in Roberts but gambling on Mundle
Le Bris has trusted Roberts throughout the season, and as a result, he will know the very minimum work rate and general level that the 28-year-old attacker will give at Wembley Stadium, whereas Mundle, who has recently returned from injury, is more of an unknown.
However, Roberts’ performance level and total contribution have steadily declined over the season, with five direct goal involvements by Boxing Day, already low, followed by no goals and only two assists in his final 23 games.
Mundle provides a threat in behind that Roberts may not be able to match, which will likely worry Chris Wilder and Sheffield United even more in a game that is already expected to be stifled and cautious, as is frequently the case in a play-off final. The fact that he may face Harrison Burrows if he replaces Roberts on Sunderland’s right suggests that Le Bris may be pinning down one of Sheffield United’s most consistent attacking contributors.
Given Mundle’s potential to stretch the defence and give a point of difference in what promises to be a close game in London, Le Bris must definitely make the difficult decision to omit the former Manchester City and Celtic attacker.
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