Sunderland AFC: Regis Le Bris could have Dan Neil regret after West Brom scrutiny | OneFootball

Since being handed the Sunderland captaincy, Dan Neil's performances have suffered.

How does Regis Le Bris solve a problem like Dan Neil?

Once hailed as one of the best academy products to come out of Wearside since Jordan Pickford, Sunderland's captain is seemingly losing his way.

Having taken over as captain from Luke O'Nien, the 22-year-old has struggled to replicate his form from previous seasons and is under intense scrutiny from fans.

Given the central-midfielder's woes, Le Bris might be regretting his decision to give Neil the burden of captaincy.

Regis Le Bris handed Dan Neil the captain's armband, replacing Luke O'Nien

Changing your captain is something that can be seen as controversial, especially if the previous skipper was adored by supporters and a first team regular.

O'Nien had the role after taking over from the injury-struck Corey Evans last season and was set to skipper the side under his new boss.

However, Le Bris decided it was time for a change and put his confidence in Neil, who is a natural leader and a born and bred Mackem.

The decision was a little surprising, but not one that completely shocked fans, considering Neil was a staple of the first team and bleeds red and white.

While many would have expected the midfielder's transition to captain to be seamless, it has been anything but, and it appears the armband is weighing heavy on the 22-year-old.

Neil was trending for the wrong reasons after West Brom performance

In the aftermath of the Black Cats' 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night, Neil was trending on social media site X.

There was an overwhelming agreement among supporters online that the central-midfielder's performance was not up to scratch, with some calling for him to be dropped.

In truth, these calls have been coming for quite some time. The 22-year-old struggled in the early stages of the season and this was summed up in his performance against the Baggies.

When analysing the team's performance as a whole, it was one of frustration, as Sunderland created 18 shots on target compared to West Brom's two. However, the Wearsiders only mustered two shots on target.

A draw with the Baggies would usually be an acceptable result, but considering the Black Cats are without a win in their last five, supporters are increasingly discouraged.

Maybe Neil is the fall guy, but there is certainly truth in supporters' criticism, as the central-midfielder has not been up to the high standards he set in previous campaigns.

Captaincy and positional change could be holding Neil back

Given Neil's dip in form, it would be fair to analyse exactly what is going wrong for the midfielder, considering the talent is certainly there.

Captaining your boyhood club is a great honour, but it is an accolade that comes with substantial responsibility and maybe Neil is struggling to deal with that.

It could be a case that the 22-year-old is trying too hard to impress, and in doing so, is not doing the basics expected of a top Championship footballer.

Another argument could be the slight positional change that Neil has had to adjust to under Le Bris. Last season, Neil partnered Pierre Ekwah in central-midfield but had greater freedom to push forward.

This was reflected in his attacking statistics, with the midfielder totalling four goals and five assists over the course of the campaign.

During the current season, Neil has played in the pivot role, with the likes of Chris Rigg and Jobe Bellingham allowed to break forward and support the attacking play.

When picking the 22-year-old's statistics apart, there is a dip in performance, with his touches, accurate passes per game and tackles per game down on last season.

Of course, Neil has played 16 games this season and there is still a way to go, but this has been enough time to see he is not playing at the level he is capable of.

Neil is a quality player and his form should be viewed as an issue rather than a catastrophe. He has the ability to overcome this dip and in time he will do so in time.

However, Le Bris might be forced to act if he cannot change the trend in performances, with the January window providing an opportunity to strengthen the midfield.

Ultimately, the Black Cats' boss might be regretting his decision to hand Neil the armband, considering he looks like a man caged by responsibility.