Everything Régis Le Bris said on Coventry City defeat, the situation at Sunderland and his future

Sunderland’s dismal start to the Premier League season hit a new low with a 3-1 defeat to Coventry City on Saturday afternoon.

The Black Cats were three-nil down by 50 minutes after another catalogue of defensive errors, and were second best all over the pitch. Enzo Le Fee’s penalty raised brief hope of a comeback but Sunderland were in the end well beaten.

Here’s everything head coach Régis Le Bris said in his post-match press conference on the performance, the situation, and his position at the club...

Q. What went wrong today?

“Back to our previous problems in the league, too inconsistent, the ability to play good football at times, create chances, but also we committed unforced errors. We tried to press high and they went long, second ball. We made two or three mistakes and they exploited those opportunities quickly.

Q. For those of who watched this team over the last couple of years, it's hard to recognise them from the first half here and at Bournemouth. What has happened?

“You recognise the team in the second half. It summarises the reality of our team at the minute.

“We can go high, we can be efficient, but making those mistakes, this inconsistency, it kills our ability to build momentum. The opponent at home especially, with their crowd, found a way to build the momentum.”

Q. It feels like the dressing room maybe at the moment doesn't understand that they are in a relegation battle at the moment. Do you feel that way?

“I don't think that they are unaware of the situation at all. They own the reality of the club, it's dynamic. We are growing fast. We are exposed this season with this busy schedule and it's really demanding. Is it unexpected? I don't think so. Many clubs last year experienced exactly the same situation. First year in Europe, you know that we'll have on average 10 less points. It's our reality. We start the league in this situation. Does it mean that we are happy? Absolutely not. We have to get better because it's hard to play this first half. It's hard to not be able to play our football with confidence, with the ability to be ourselves. But the reality of this competition is that one. When you are not at your best and you can't repeat every three days, you are in this situation.

Q. You've been loyal to the structure and a lot of the personnel that were so successful last season. Is it now time to go back to the drawing board and make significant changes?

“I don't know for the structure because I think we have flexibility.

“We speak about back five, for example. I think we are able in our defensive shape to switch quickly with different players. Probably it's more about the way we want to control or go fast forward because when you have less confidence, and I think it's the case, it's fair to say that now, it's hard to be clinical.

“It's hard to be clean all the time. So maybe it's about being a bit more direct, a bit more incisive in three or four passes to go forward.

Q. Are you in a relegation battle? Do people need to get their heads around that?

“It's obvious.

“If you look at the table, there's no doubt about the situation. I think Sunderland in the Premier League for the second year has to have this mindset, the underdog mentality. I repeat, the situation is not unexpected. We started the season with this understanding of how demanding it could be, and it's the case. So we are ready for that. Are we happy? I repeat, no. Are we worried? Always, because it's football. Elite football is like that. You can't relax at all. Are we combative? Yes. Are we resilient? Yes. Are we together? Yes. And we'll bounce back quickly.

There were quite a few boos from the away end at the final whistle...

“It was totally understandable.

“I think if you're not disappointed that at the end of the game they're going away at Coventry for an important game for three points, it's normal to react like this. But I know their support. I know that they believe in the club. They experienced a much more difficult situation than this one, and we'll stick together.

Q. Did the players who did so well in midweek deserve an opportunity here?

“It's hard to say because we are playing every three days, so it's important to manage the full picture. The lads who didn't play had the opportunity to build a real week. We didn't see the effect on the pitch today, but it doesn't mean that it won't be the case for Zagreb and then for Chelsea. So, it's hard to say just a consequence of this or this. We have to believe that we have a full group with four different competitions. The Premier League is crucial and we'll fight for that.

Q. Do you still believe you have the backing of the players, of Flo and of Kyril to turn the situation around?

“I've no doubt. I don't think like this. For me, we experienced so many difficult situations to achieve what we achieved, and we won't give up just because it's a bit tough at the beginning of the season. So, 100% I'm combative. I feel the unity of the club. The players obviously still have doubt because when you lose, you try to find solutions.

I don't feel that the players are trying to escape their own responsibilities, which is the most important, I think. And for the players, it's the case. For the staff, it's the case. For me, it's the case. So, I keep working hard.”

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