Alderete and Brobbey to give Le Bris food for thought against the Cherries

Sunderland face Bournemouth this Saturday as they look to bounce back from a disappointing performance and result against Fulham.

- by Phil Smith

Sunderland's Brian Brobbey is brought down by Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes at the Stadium of Light.

With the Black Cats struggling to produce their best in both boxes, Régis Le Bris will be assessing whether any changes are needed this week both in terms of personnel and the structure of the side.

Here we look at some of the different options he has, and the changes we think he might well consider...

Le Bris is not one for panic and most certainly not one to overreact to one poor performance.

Sunderland's formation and selection didn't work at Fulham, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is inherently flawed.

Sunderland's statistics at Fulham were as bad as anything they have produced this season at both ends of the pitch, and it was notable that they ceded far more chances than we have become accustomed to.

There's a very fair argument that this suggests the result was mostly down to too many individuals simply having an off day, rather than any fundamental issue with the structure.

There's every chance that Le Bris opts broadly to stick with what worked well in the previous block of fixtures, trusting those who dipped below their usual levels to bounce back against what must be forgotten is a very, very strong Bournemouth side.

There would also be a few opportunities for Le Bris to freshen things up within the same shape.