Sunderland battled back to draw 1-1 against Aston Villa despite playing with ten men

Régis Le Bris has praised Chris Rigg for his performance on his first Premier League start, despite being forced into taking him off in the first half of Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa.

Habib Diarra's injury in training on Friday presented Rigg with the opportunity to come into the side, and though he started very well he was replaced by Dan Ballard after Reinildo's red card not long before the interval.

Rigg was visibly and understandably disappointed with the decision, but the afternoon nevertheless marks a major step forward for the youngster. With Le Bris admitting that he expects to be without Diarra for a couple of weeks at least, Rigg may well have played himself into the XI on a more regular basis.

“It was difficult," Le Bris said.

"I think he [Rigg] played really well for what was his real debut in the Premier League. I am happy for him because he is a hard worker, always connected with the energy of the squad even if he was a sub at the beginning of the league season. After [the red card], we had to change something to keep the system solid out of possession. It was important to change the shape."

Here's everything Le Bris said about the draw after the game...

Overall, you must be pleased with the resilience your team showed to get a point?

“It’s a good point with two different scenarios. We started well, in the first half-hour of the game, sticking to our game plan. The red card changed the whole dynamic, and it wasn’t obvious that we would react properly.

We did that though. We had the opportunity to change the game plan, and the second half was about having a deep block and trying to create opportunities through set-plays. I think it went well. We conceded, but I really liked the reaction. Sometimes, going behind with ten men, you can just give up, but that wasn’t the case. We kept the ability to go forward and think that it was possible to change the score. And that happened.

The red card happened just in front of you, what did you make of the decision and are you a little disappointed given Reinildo's experience?

"It’s difficult. We have to respect the decision of the referee. Am I disappointed given his [Reinildo’s] experience? Yes, totally. Granit spoke in the dressing room about these red cards. He has experienced this feeling before in his career. It can happen, but the main point was the score and the ability to earn a point. He will be punished because he will miss the next games.

What are the early indications on Habib Diarra's injury?

"We don't know yet. The diagnosis is in progress but we'll probably have to wait a few weeks. He has a muscle injury.

You spoke in the summer about how important height and defensive strength was going to be this season. It felt like today was the perfect example of that? And how impressed have you been with how quickly Nordi Mukiele has settled?

"I think it's really important to have a solid shape to be able to defend properly in this defensive phase.

Otherwise, against strong opponents in this league, it's really impossible to be competitive. This part of the game was a real purpose through the pre-season and the first five games. I think it was a really good practise today for that. For me, it's not a surprise because they have, in this back line, you can speak about Nordi, Omar and even Ballard, who came off the bench, they have the physical attributes and the mentality to defend in the box. They have experience as well, so I'm not surprised. I think the recruitment process was really focused on specific qualities and it was obvious that they have these qualities and I'm happy with the output because sometimes you can see something [in analysis] but on the pitch it's not the the case, but with these players it's really well connected with our assessment.

How important has it been to protect the spirit of the squad you had last season?

"It's really important. We saw it today because they are coming into a new club but the identity, the game model, the previous experiences are still here and it's like a foundation.

The recruitment process was really important because it was the main objective to keep the consistency of this identity. Otherwise, we'll lose something. Here, the togetherness, the ability to play together and to learn every day, to stay connected with his teammates is really important. We can have maybe a more talented player but the togetherness is a non-negotiable point. I think they showed so far that they are able to connect with these ideas.

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