Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has sent a strong message to his players ahead of the second leg against Coventry City

Régis Le Bris insists that he will send his Sunderland out to win on Tuesday night and that protecting their narrow lead would be a major mistake.

The Black Cats secured a 2-1 win in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi final against Coventry City on Friday, despite having just 24% of the ball throughout the game. The Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard pondered after the game whether Sunderland would be able to repeat their low block tactics in front of an expectant home crowd, and Le Bris has made clear that he wants his team to play with intent at the Stadium of Light.

“The second goal on Friday changes nothing," Le Bris said.

"We have to win this game, this is in my mind. We have to start like the first game, we have to have the same mindset [to win]. Games are unpredictable so you have to be proactive, you cannot try to protect. We have to try and win and then we will see at the end.

"It's not always about just our style, it's also about the opponent,” Le Bris added.

“Coventry were strong, they played well," Le Bris said.

"With the starting XI we said, we had big strengths and some things that were not the strongest part of our game. The balance was right for this fixture, especially in the second half when we disturbed their patterns. We felt in this moment we were in the gameplan. In this environment, away from home, it was hard to control possession. We know the scenario will be different in this one. But if Coventry are strong again, the balance might be similar. But then if the output is the same, we will all be happy.”

Intent and possession not the same says Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris

While Le Bris insists his team will play to win and be dynamic, he rejected any suggestions that would be linked to possession.

"Proactive is the main word," Le Bris said.

"With the squad more or less fully available, we know have different options. If we are in a conservative mindset, it doesn't fit with this event, the identity of our club and our idea of how we want to play. We have to be proactive.

“"I don't agree that it is about possession," Le Bris added.

"If the opponent is strong, we are Sunderland with our qualities. We have a strong defensive block, we can defend, recover the ball and attack quickly. This is Sunderland, this is our identity. If we have 25% possession and win 2-0, I don't think our fans will mind.

“We like having the ball, we want it, of course. I won't say that we accept this level of possession but it was how the game went, and we knew that in this dynamic we could win the game. We want the ball but we are not Barcelona. In this scenario we knew we could unbalance our opponent, the XG was similar and we scored twice. Once after a mistake yes, but we provoked it with a press."

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