'Really smart' – Régis Le Bris tells incredible Granit Xhaka story and confesses his biggest Sunderland worry
Régis Le Bris discusses Sunderland’s rise, squad chemistry and the leadership driving their Premier League progress
Régis Le Bris has spent just 18 months at Sunderland, but in that time he has reshaped the club’s identity, lifted standards on and off the pitch and overseen one of the most striking cultural shifts in the Premier League. What began with a promotion push has developed into a clear, coherent style of play, a unified squad and a level of tactical maturity that has surprised many outside Wearside.
In this wide ranging conversation with Men in Blazers, the Sunderland head coach reflects on the foundations of his work, the value he places on mentality and connection, and the importance of building an environment where players and staff can grow. He discusses the club’s transition from the Championship, the impact of 14 summer signings, and offers rare insight into Granit Xhaka’s leadership behind the scenes.
He also reveals the one thing he genuinely fears as Sunderland continue to evolve – here’s the full transcript for you to enjoy...
Men in Blazers: It's been incredible watching you and your Sunderland this season, and you’ve said you "do not want to be the main man." How would you describe your coaching philosophy and the message you give to your players?
Régis Le Bris: "I think the most important thing for me is to create an environment for the development of the player, of the players and the squad. So we'll have our key pillars for our identity. We want to play together. We want to defend together. We want to be connected and to always be hard to beat. I think in this Premier League it's really important to defend properly, and when it's the case, you can create a good level of confidence to play and to create with the ball, and I think so far it worked well."
Men in Blazers: Sunderland spent eight agonising years outside the Premier League, then won the play-off final. What did you expect from that jump to the top flight, and how has the reality compared?
Régis Le Bris: "Yeah, it's still fragile but I think we expected a big gap, so the transfer window was crucial for us and I think the club worked well with a strong organisation, a full alignment between the different parties, the coach, the sporting director, the head of football, the owner, and we worked hard to build the best squad as possible and with 14 new signings, the challenge after that was to connect with the previous players and so far the mentality of the squad is really good. One of the key points for the recruitment was the mentality, the ability to connect with a project, to have this ambition, not for yourself but for the squad, and I think so far it works well."
Men in Blazers: After beating Chelsea and drawing with Arsenal, do you feel some Premier League teams underestimated Sunderland?
Régis Le Bris: "Yeah it's possible and they can keep going like that and for us the main point is to stay organised all the way, because we know that the game is really long, maybe 100 minutes now, and to keep the level of energy as high as possible, so our finishers are really important as well, so if we can combine a good and strong organisation and a good level of energy all the way, I think it's still possible to change the dynamic of the game."
Men in Blazers: You signed 14 new players from 10 leagues and nine countries. Yet the chemistry is instant. How did you build that connection so quickly?
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Régis Le Bris: "I don't know. We can't explain everything, I think, but probably the recruitment is crucial, and after that, we are working on a strong game model. Simple with key pillars, the journey started with our first video calls, so I explained clearly I think what was the way of playing, what was the position expected for the player, and I think if they decided among different options, it would be Sunderland at the end, it meant that they understood that this game model, this environment was really positive for them and the connection started probably from that point, and after that it's a question of chemistry and you can't always explain the chemistry."
Men in Blazers: One of the biggest additions was Granit Xhaka. You said, "one of the strengths of a leader is to create other leaders." Can you give us an example?
Régis Le Bris: "It's really impressive because I worked with many good players before, and some of them were good leaders but not strong leaders at that level, and it's really impressive. For example, one just a short insight, he started in the restaurant here to sit with the French players from the beginning. So I asked him, why are you always with these players? And he told me that they will be really important for the squad this season, so I need to connect with them to understand them and probably in his mind to manage them as well. So he's really clever, really smart, and he knows the different points which will be really crucial for the future. And his background is impressive and the way he manages the team is really impressive."
Men in Blazers: Is he essentially a manager for you on the pitch?
Régis Le Bris: "Absolutely, because he can feel the momentum of the game and he can react in real time, which is not usual for a player because of the emotional environment, the demand of the Premier League. If you don't have a strong level as a footballer and a strong background, you can't manage everything, and probably Granit is one of these players who can have everything."
Men in Blazers: You have studied physiology, biomechanics and the mental side of performance. How do you give a team belief?
Régis Le Bris: "I don't think we can explain just with one or two reasons. It's a full methodology. For me, we are talking about collective work, collective effort, and it's the case for the players, but it's the case for the staff here in Southampton. So I'm here to create the condition to work together. And so we will define a clear vision, we'll define a clear game model for the players, but it's like a game model for the staff as well. This is the way we want to work together. And after that, we create the condition for creativity, the condition for involvement, the condition for the weakness to push our limits. And if you work together, an emergence can happen, can appear. And I think it's probably the main point."
Men in Blazers: When you first arrived, you asked the players what they hoped to achieve, and they told you they wanted promotion. Now you're deep into this season, what do you dream about? What will make this year a success? And what do you fear?
Régis Le Bris: "For me, the main point is to be the best version of Sunderland. And we'll see what will be the limit later. So if we play at our best level, I don't know what will be the experience. So I can't set a limit before. I just want to be the best version of Sunderland. And we'll see."
Men in Blazers: Do you fear anything?
Régis Le Bris: "Yeah, probably my main issue might be this problem. If we don't achieve this maximum, I'll have regrets at the end. So I only fear this one."