The international break is finally over and Sunderland return to action in the Premier League this afternoon as they travel to Craven Cottage to take on Fulham.
Regis Le Bris’ side have not played a game since their 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal at the Stadium of Light before the break, and they will be looking to build on that with another positive result against a London-based club.
Despite picking up an excellent point against the Gunners, the Black Cats boss may still look to make some changes to his starting line-up from that match, including dropping centre-forward Wilson Isidor.
Why Sunderland should drop Wilson Isidor
The French marksman has scored four goals in 11 appearances in the Premier League so far this season, per Sofascore, and done so from an xG of 2.49, which shows that he has been efficient in front of goal.
However, the 25-year-old attacker has only scored one goal in his last six outings in the division, after three in the first five matches, per Sofascore, which shows that his form has dropped off slightly.
On top of that, his last two appearances for the Black Cats in the Premier League have left a bit to be desired, as his all round game has been underwhelming.
Minutes
83
63
Shots
3
2
Goals
0
0
Key passes
0
0
Pass accuracy
56%
38%
Ground duels won
1/3
1/5
Aerial duels won
2/3
3/9
As you can see in the table above, the Sunderland marksman struggled when leading the line against both Everton and Arsenal, losing the majority of his ground duels across both matches without providing much in the way of quality on the ball.
His loose passing combined with his lack of end product and physical struggles could see Le Bris take him out of the starting line-up for this clash with Fulham, to provide another player with an opportunity.
With this in mind, the Black Cats head coach should unleash summer signing Brian Brobbey as the starting number nine ahead of Isidor this afternoon.
Why Brian Brobbey should start for Sunderland against Fulham
The obvious reason as to why the Dutch centre-forward should start against Fulham is that he came off the bench to score a brilliant goal against Arsenal before the break.
After coming on for Isidor, who struggled, the 22-year-old attacker showed great quality, composure, and strength to score the equaliser, as shown in the clip above.
The £60k-per-week striker is yet to start a match in the Premier League for the Black Cats, with six appearances off the bench, yet he has already had two major moments in a red and white shirt.
After coming off the bench against Chelsea at the end of October, Brobbey showed terrific pace, strength, and awareness to race onto a ball over the top, hold off Tosin Adarabioyo, and tee up Chemsdine Talbi to score the winner in stoppage time.
This means that the Dutch whiz’s contributions off the bench have earned Sunderland an extra three points in the last three matches, with two extra points won against Chelsea and one against Arsenal.
Brobbey, who U23 scout Antonio Mango described as “a freight-train when dribbling”, has not been given the chance to showcase his quality as a starter in the Premier League, but this clash with Fulham could be the ideal opportunity for Le Fee to do so.
After Isidor’s struggles in recent matches, bringing in the former Ajax marksman to reward him for his exceptional performances off the bench of late could be a good move this afternoon.
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