UPDATE: “Bench him and start….” Le Bris asked to axe Flop whose performance was below expectation against Burnley to unleash Beast who will demolish Portsmouth…. EFL defense will find it hard to defend against this player.
Sunderland will look to maintain their early unbeaten run in the Championship as they head to John Mousinho’s Portsmouth later today, having secured three wins from three matches so far.
Regis Le Bris’ side has yet to concede a goal in the league, with their most impressive result coming from a narrow 1-0 victory against Scott Parker’s Burnley, a team that had previously scored nine goals across matches against Luton Town and Cardiff City. Despite this strong start, Le Bris may need to make some changes for the challenging trip to the South Coast, with Chris Rigg potentially dropping out of the starting XI for the match at Fratton Park.
Rigg’s performance against Burnley
Le Bris will need to adjust his lineup, despite Sunderland’s flawless record, due to Dan Neil’s late red card against Burnley. Rigg might be the player to make way for these changes, following a less impactful performance in the 1-0 win compared to his standout showing in the previous match against Sheffield Wednesday.
Looking at his stats from those two games, Rigg was more effective in Sunderland’s emphatic 4-0 win over Danny Rohl’s Owls, where the 17-year-old had twice as many touches as he did against Burnley. Against the Clarets, he completed only six accurate passes and had fewer touches than Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, who had 41.
Sunderland is aware of the potential risks of overplaying a young player, as they experienced last season with Jobe Bellingham, who, despite being a talented teenager, was perhaps overworked by playing consistently without sufficient rest.
Sunderland’s best replacement for Rigg
Given this, Alan Browne might be chosen to start in the attacking midfield role behind Eliezer Mayenda. Browne, who joined Sunderland from Preston North End in the summer, is well-versed in the demands of the Championship, having made 348 appearances at this level with the Lilywhites before his move to the Stadium of Light.
Browne scored 46 goals for Preston and could open his account for Sunderland against Portsmouth if given the opportunity to start, especially after showing promise during his brief appearance against Burnley. In just 18 minutes, Browne made one key pass, demonstrating his potential to fill the gap left by Neil’s suspension.
Sunderland doesn’t have the best recent record against Portsmouth, having lost three of their last five encounters, including a heavy 4-0 defeat away in 2021. With Le Bris facing a selection dilemma regarding who will replace Neil if Rigg is benched, today’s match promises to be an intriguing early-season contest.