adminSunderland defender Omar Alderete delivered a dismal performance against Coventry City, and the choice to include him in the starting lineup could end up costing Regis Le Bris his job.
The Black Cats have now gone seven Premier League matches without a win and sit bottom of the table on five points. Le Bris has received praise for his work on Wearside over the past two seasons, but he is now under serious pressure and could be dismissed.
His team failed to compete at the CBS Arena on Saturday as newly promoted Coventry comfortably beat them 3-1.
Alderete was among the worst offenders in the defeat to Frank Lampard’s side, appearing completely lost in defence before being sent off for a second bookable offence.
The 29-year-old has been far off the required standard this season, and Le Bris’ error in selecting him could prove costly if he loses his job this week.
Omar Alderete was shocking vs Coventry, he has been poor all season
Alderete had been a dependable presence at the back for Sunderland last season after joining from Getafe, making 34 appearances as they secured Europa League qualification. The 29-year-old’s form has fallen off dramatically this season, yet Le Bris brought him back into the starting eleven on Saturday for only his second Premier League start of the campaign.
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Alderete did not win any of his five ground duels all afternoon, failed to complete a single successful tackle from centre-back, misplaced six of nine long passes (33%), and lost possession 14 times.
He committed four fouls and was booked for the last two, with Simon Hooper showing him a red card just a minute from time after he stopped Jack Rudoni from breaking away to attack.
Le Bris left red-faced after poorly-timed Alderete comments last week
Alderete performed better against Brentford in the Carabao Cup last week, after two games on the bench that followed a disastrous outing away at Bournemouth where he was at fault for both goals.
Le Bris praised him heavily after the cup win, saying: “I was happy with Omar. Yeah, because we spoke about the style of play. We try to press hard. I think it’s more or less the trend in the Premier League and modern football. You press hard, it means that the opponent will go long around your centre-backs. If your centre-backs are not strong, consistent, able to manage 1v1s, you’re over.
“Let’s speak about Bournemouth, for example. We didn’t start the game. Just in 15 minutes, the game was over just because of that. It’s a question of momentum. I think we are humans. They can’t be at their top consistently, so you need three or four centre-backs.
“We had a short spell without efficient centre-backs and now Kevin is getting better, I think. Nordi was good. Luke is also in a really good place and Omar yesterday…Thank you, Omar! I like this version.”
Alderete then produced a shocking display on Saturday that completely undermined his manager, who may now regret offering such strong praise.
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