Where Regis Le Bris wants Sunderland to improve ahead of fixture challenge
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris is looking forward to the challenge of three games in a week and insisted, “our efficiency will be important”. The Black Cats face Watford away, today, before welcoming Derby County to the Stadium of Light next Tuesday and Leeds United three days later.
Asked how he views the six games in terms of momentum and whether that will help against Watford he said: “It’s a bit difficult to assess because for the first four wins for example, we thought the momentum was very strong. But we can see a single element or small details can change momentum [loss to Plymouth].
“It was very interesting to assess the team after that defeat. We could see the whole energy we brought against Middlesbrough but it wasn’t perfect.
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“In hold, the elements of the game there were phases that were interesting but in other areas it wasn’t so good. So this week was another week, we had many conversations about the game so we know for example we were strong in defence. Our high press was interesting as well. But our control of the game wasn’t enough. We are still a young team, I think we were [average] 23 against 26 of Middlesbrough. We could see the experience could change the momentum even though the result was a positive at the end of the game.”
He added: “These three games we have coming up will be interesting because the efficiency will be very important.
“If we waste too much energy in possession or out of possession, in the end we will have many problems. It’s easy to talk about in a room but now we will need to execute on the pitch so we will see.
“Watford are another strong team with a high level of physicality. They have interesting individuals and as a team. Maybe they have a bad moment but they have many qualities as well. It will be a different experience to Middlebrough but this is the main goal, having the ability to solve different kinds of problems.
“We have Watford, Derby and Leeds, three differemnt styles of players and different teams. Our culture is better than at the beginning of the season but the problems still need to be solved on the pitch.”
Trai Hume is on four bookings and a fifth would mean a reshuffle and Le Bris agreed that Luke O’Nien could be an option but he will worry about that situation when it happens.
And Sunderland are yet to concede first in a game this season, something Le Bris knows will happen at some point. “It will happen for sure,” he smiled.
“When we concede the first goal I am still confident as this team is very well connected. The trick is to stay with the game understanding and the project and we are now stronger than we were before, so we will see.
“The competition we have in the team is very interesting. Every player can learn from the other and you know if you don’t push yourself enough you won’t play.”
One area where competition has increased is up front and while it appears Nazariy Rusyn has been pushed down the pecking order, Le Bris insisted: “What we want to do is build a new good level of competition in every position. Now we have the right level of competition. So with this competition many things could happen. “It’s not a competition between them. It’s not Aaron[Connolly] against Eliezer [Mayenda] or Eliezer against [Nazariy] Rusyn. It’s like a team and we know we will need these players in good shape and able to play at their best level to play as a team.”