Regis Le Bris has revealed that he left Dennis Cirkin out of Sunderland’s win over Sheffield United because he felt he was struggling with fatigue.
However, the Black Cats boss expects the full-back to remain a pivotal performer in the second half of the season.
Cirkin was dropped to the substitutes’ bench as the Blades visited the Stadium of Light, with Aji Alese restored to the starting line-up for the first time in five matches.
Alese produced an impressive display on the left of the back four, defending aggressively as Sunderland claimed all three points, and will hope to retain his place for Sunday’s home game with Portsmouth.
Cirkin had not quite looked himself after returning from wrist surgery last month, but Le Bris expects the 22-year-old to continue to be an important performer once he had a chance to recharge his batteries.
“We have many options in our back four, and I think it’s important to manage every player,” said Le Bris. “When we feel that one of these players is tired, then we know the depth of the squad is good. We have two or three options available. Aji did well, and Dennis will recover and be available for the next games.”
Sunderland’s victory over Sheffield United enabled them to draw a line under a somewhat disappointing Christmas period in which a 2-2 draw at Blackburn was followed by a 1-0 defeat at Stoke.
The Black Cats conceded costly late goals in both of those games, but Le Bris had told his players not to let any lingering disappointment affect them ahead of their home game with the Blades.
They responded with a spirited display that saw them attack effectively in a new-look formation that featured Eliezer Mayenda playing alongside Wilson Isidor in attack, and then defended stoutly when Sheffield United attempted to haul themselves back into the game in the second half.
“It shows that we are consistent,” Le Bris said of his side’s win. “Even if we didn’t win all the games before, we were still able to create danger and play well. It’s a question of consistency, and we have shown that we are able to get that consistency.
“We didn’t get all the points that we wanted to get (over Christmas), but we have responded well. This league is so strong that you will have some periods where you struggle, but you have to keep believing in what you are doing. In terms of that, I think it was an important night for us.”
