Regis Le Bris Must Continue Key Sunderland Change After Brentford Win

Sunderland beat Brentford in the Carabao Cup fourth-round tie on Wednesday advance to book a spot in the quarter-finals at Crystal Palace, with Regis Le Bris' side enjoying one of, if not their best attacking display of the campaign thus far.

As a result, the Sunderland boss must maintain the positive tactical changes that led to the Black Cats shell-shocking Keith Andrews' side with three goals in the space of 12 minutes in the first half, to help kickstart their Premier League campaign.

Sunderland beat Brentford 3-2 courtesy of goals from young attacking trio Chemsdine Talbi, Timur Tutierov and Malick Fofana, who opened his Black Cats account after arriving from Lyon in the summer transfer window with a brave backpost header.

Despite those three getting on the scoresheet and putting too much distance between the Black Cats and Brentford, it was young right-winger Jocelin Ta Bi who was the standout player for Sunderland, enjoying a hat-trick of assists for his teammates in a stunning breakout performance that oozed technical quality.

With those four players, therein lies the tactical and selection change that Le Bris must maintain in the coming stages of the season, so that Sunderland can regain their attacking edge in the final third to get some Premier League wins back on the board.

Against a strong Brentford side on Wednesdsay night, Sunderland scored more goals (three) in the opening 40 minutes against the Bees than they had done in their five outings combined before kick-off, netting against Torreense and Lech Poznan in the Europa League but firing blanks to Brighton, Bournemouth and Leeds United in the top flight.

Clearly, when analysing the performance and selection decisions from Le Bris, Sunderland's improved attacking output was no coincidence.

The Sunderland boss lined up with two natural wingers in Fofana and Ta Bi, with Talbi operating in a central role behind young forward Tutierov, seeing the athletic central midfield duo of Jules Ahoka and Habib Diarra also offer options and runs from deep to support.

With Le Bris resisting the urge to use a right-back at the right-wing position, Sunderland looked far more potent, creative and dynamic in attack, which has been a glaring issue for the Black Cats at the start of the campaign, particularly in the Premier League, with Sunderland bottom of the table for goals per match (0.8).

Crucially, however, the possession stats from the Carabao Cup win over Brentford also tell an interesting story, with Sunderland having just 33 percent possession in the first half on Wednesday night, but scoring three goals in the process.

As has been the case with Le Bris' Sunderland side since he took over over two years ago, his team looks more like a transitional threat than a possession-dominant side. 

Talbi's opener came after Sunderland turned defence into attack rapidly, seeing away a Brentford corner and with four fast, forward passes later, the Moroccan international had tapped home the first goal from point-blank range.

Similarly, Ta Bi beat £40m Brentford full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf with ease and squared it for Tutierov after latching onto a forceful defensive clearance from Danso, turning a defensive action into a half-assist from the central defender.

These elements of Sunderland's play against Brentford highlight that Le Bris must continue with the same positive attacking selection process, utilising two of his several natural wingers either side of Enzo Le Fee in the number ten role that Talbi shone in, with Brian Brobbey spearheading the attack in place of apprentice number nine Tutierov.

In addition, Sunderland must maintain the speed, intensity, and flair exhibited within their attacking plays, which helped them find their shooting boots once more against the Bees, so that the Black Cats can regain their potency in the final third and get their goalscoring form back on track.

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