Sunderland Selection Debate Emerges After Chemsdine Talbi's Chelsea Display

Sunderland have won every game this season that winger Chemsdine Talbi has started in across multiple competitions; is this a happy coincidence, or a causal effect?

In the summer transfer window, Talbi was heavily linked with a Sunderland exit to the Saudi Pro League and was left out of Regis Le Bris' initial Europa League squad as a result, after just one season at the Stadium of Light.

However, Director of Football Florent Ghisolfi made clear in the aftermath that Talbi would be staying at Sunderland on the eve of the Carabao Cup win over Hull City, in which the Moroccan international scored the winning goal to send the Black Cats through and send a reminder of his attacking abilities to Le Bris.

Since that poignant moment, Talbi has slowly re-emerged into starting contention, and was given the nod from the off by Le Bris in Sunderland's 1-0 win over Chelsea before the international break, impressing once again with a stellar display.

Interestingly, that was his third start of the season for Sunderland, and in all of those clashes in which the 21-year-old has started, the Black Cats have won, being the Hull Cup win, the 3-2 win over Brentford in the following round, and Chelsea last time out.

As a result, what does Le Bris do now with his selection on the wings heading forwards?

Talbi, as well as fellow wingers Malick Fofana and Nilson Angulo, have shown flashes of their technical brilliance throughout the start to the season, but each have failed to translate those exciting moments into consistent output.

Between the trio, they have managed just four goals and zero assists combined in their 30 total appearances, with the Black Cats' strugglesome beginning to the campaign manifesting a void of dynamism in wide attacking areas.

The reason behind the lack of goals and assists from Sunderland's wingers is an interesting debate; whether it is a coaching or instructional issue from Le Bris, a confidence problem from the trio, or simply an unfortunate run of form.

However, given that Sunderland looked far more potent in attack against Chelsea, and looked at their attacking best during the cup win over Brentford with Talbi starting in both of those games, has the Moroccan managed to earn a run of starts in the post-international break run on the left wing?

Or, does Le Bris persist with £30.8m summer signing Fofana and use either Talbi or Angulo, who has also shone on occasion this season, on the right flank of attack rather than persisting with his employment of full-backs Trai Hume or Thomas Meunier in this role.

Sunderland's victory over Chelsea before the break was an imperative win for the club, players, and Le Bris, but the Black Cats boss's use of Talbi over the other two aforementioned wingers for the fixture will give him some food for thought for the two-week-long break ahead of his side's return to action at Aston Villa on November 21.

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