Sam Allardyce believes his changes early on in the Watford defeat at the weekend were necessary.
After his team conceded with just four minutes on the clock, the Sunderland manager took off DeAndre Yedlin after only 19 minutes on Saturday, bringing on Jack Rodwell and changing the team from a 3-5-2 set-up to a 4-4-2.
Speaking to the Sunderland Echo about his decision to do so, the former Newcastle United boss believes these changes "had to be done" and that they "made a difference," even if the final result, a 1-0 defeat, was not ideal and one that left them "disappointed."
Changes necessary
With Sunderland wildly exposed at the back and lucky not to be more than a goal down with just 19 minutes played, it was no surprise to see Allardyce change things around.
It's a rarity in the game, with changes often made at half-time when things aren't going well, but not before. Managers frequently tinker with the set-up if needs be early on, or perhaps swap players around on the pitch, but substitutions are usually left until the break.
However, with Watford having scored, been denied a second by a super goal line block from Sebastian Coates and then thwarted by the post moments later, it was clear that the manager had to do something on Saturday, saying that "the change had to be done."
Allardyce believes there was "no point waiting until half-time," even if that is something which he would "generally do," because he had to switch things up "before it [got] any worse" as things were not "good at that stage."
"We changed it twice," he continued. "We stabilised it first," moving Billy Jones to right-back after he had been part of the back three and bringing Patrick van Aanholt back into a more orthodox left-back role, with him playing as a wing-back to start, "and then we went to the diamond and created more chances."
It wasn't just the changes at the back that helped either, but Rodwell's introduction meant that the team had "someone else in midfield to give [the defence] more protection," as well as to allow more players to contribute going forward.
"It made a difference," Allardyce believes, which was certainly clear in the second half as Sunderland started to dominate and really threaten an equaliser.
However, even with all their chances, the team lacked that clinical finishing and so were left "very disappointed" that they didn't get "anything" from the game.
Absentees heavily missed
Some may have been surprised to see Allardyce continue with the 3-5-2 at the weekend, given that Younes Kaboul was out through illness.
Kaboul, who joined from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, is one of just three centre-backs in the team, with Wes Brown hardly worth counting given that he has seen his first team opportunities heavily limited this season.
The last time Brown played was the last time Allardyce tried this formation without his three main centre-backs - Kaboul, Coates and captain John O'Shea. On that day, the team conceded six goals, losing 6-2 to Everton at Goodison Park with Jones, Brown and Coates the back three.
However, the manager believes that changing the system just because Kaboul was ill "would have thrown the lads completely," especially "after the performances they had given," with the formation having seen them produce better displays in recent weeks and win two of their last three games.
"I could have done without Younes Kaboul being ill", he admitted, whilst the absences of Lee Cattermole and Sebastian Larsson, both injured, were also "big blow[s]," meaning the midfield was lacking the fight and bite it has had recently.
These big misses were what led to an under-par performance Allardyce believes, saying that "it was [not] so much the system," but that it was instead "individuals not playing very well."
Upcoming fixtures will allow no excuses
Yet, the team will have to learn to cope without key players in the coming weeks, with Cattermole ruled out for an unknown amount of time whereas Larsson is to be sidelined until the New Year.
Kaboul will be back for this weekend's game, but Allardyce cannot have his team play like this for the rest of the month, with fixtures against Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool to come.
He and Sunderland need to find a way to cope without big players, otherwise they will get dragged even further into a relegation battle that they showed promise of escaping with their wins at Crystal Palace and at home to Stoke City.
Whether this is by changing the formation or just trusting other personnel more, we will find out on Saturday when the Black Cats pay the Blues a visit, travelling to Stamford Bridge.