Sunderland plan for next penalty after Isidor Burnley misses & training ground talks
REGIS Le Bris will let Wilson Isidor decide whether he wants to take Sunderland's next penalty after his dramatic double miss at Burnley.
Le Bris was keen to let the dust settle after Friday night's dramatic finale - when Isidor was twice denied by James Trafford from the spot - before discussing penalties with his players.
Those talks took place on Sunday, with Le Bris, who often stresses the importance of his squad "taking responsibility", keen to let his players lead the discussions.
Sunderland's head coach again pointed out his belief that his players will learn from their Turf Moor experience. As for who takes the next penalty, he didn't completely commit - though suggested he'd be happy to let Isidor step up again if his striker was comfortable doing so.
Le Bris did admit, however, that Isidor might have to work on his variation from the spot, with both of his efforts at Burnley aimed to the goalkeeper's right.
"We'll see. Probably, it's really a question of choice," he said.
"Trafford was really good. Wilson was probably used to shooting like that. Now he has to probably open and find different locations for his shots. It will be a useful experience for sure.
"We'll see for the next penalty taker. It's not a common situation [to have two penalties in a game]. Wilson will have many other situations to solve. Now it's a question of feeling during the game. If he feels he's OK he could be the penalty taker. At the end, we need to score."
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Isidor was devastated immediately after the game, saying on social media it was the "worst day of his life", and Le Bris was keen to allow those emotions to settle before reflecting on the Burnley finale.
"Now it's less emotional," he said.
"It's better to avoid strong discussions just after. We were disappointed after the game because we created five big chances and didn't score, and missed two penalties.
"It's not the best moment to analyse the situation but we did yesterday and the players had many discussions. It's part of the learning process. I am sure we will learn from this experience."
Asked whether Isidor should have taken the second penalty after missing the first, Le Bris said: "It's easy to say at the end it wasn't the best decision but they made the decision together. I have to respect that.
"It wasn't the best choice for the shot for sure, but the way we want to build that team, and so far it isn't too bad, is to give responsibility on the pitch.
"At the end it probably wasn't the best decision but we have to respect the decision and move on. We'll find another solution to score, I'm sure."