Régis Le Bris delivers honest verdict on Sunderland's late disappointment and where they must improve
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Régis Le Bris admitted Millwall's late equaliser was tough to take but insisted he was pleased with how his reshuffled side competed for large parts of the game.
Sunderland looked to have secured three superb points at The Den though Aaron Connolly's first-time volley, despite the head coach being forced into six changes due to injury. Substitute Milan Aleksic was inches away from doubling Sunderland's advantage in stoppage time, with Femi Azeez scoring on the break moments later.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdLe Bris said there is much his side can improve on after a challenging second half in which Millwall largely dominated, but he feels those who stepped in proved they can be trusted.
"I liked the first half especially with such a young team and in such a tough place to play," Le Bris said.
"We probably could have scored one more goal because we had a lot of situations to exploit. In the second half it was more difficult because they used their direct play and they have mastered it. They are very good from second balls and from there they build around your box.
We won the first contact mainly but we struggled with the second ball and to escape the pressure. We did it at times and had many chances to counter. We could have scored a second goal but we didn't and it was a little bit more chaotic. This we have to improve because even when the opponent had strong momentum, we could have broken the dynamic with the ball. It's a question of maturity and sometimes bravery, we can improve on this.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad"It's difficult to digest but overall, they deserved to score a goal in the second half. Overall, I think we deserved a point. With the starting line up I was confident but you have to see it on the pitch, and they showed that they are able to play, to help the team. "This is good for us. At the academy we felt these options could be good for us and it was good to see it on the pitch."
Sunderland return to action at home to West Brom on Tuesday night.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.