Sunderland midfielder delivers honest Europe verdict and outlines preferred role under Régis Le Bris after Forest defeat

Enzo Le Fée has called for humility and a reset in mindset after Sunderland’s heavy 5-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest, insisting talk of European qualification is premature.

Speaking after the game, the midfielder admitted the scale of the result had to change the narrative around the club’s ambitions heading into the final weeks of the season.

“We spoke between us. We just have to stay humble,” Le Fée said. “We are Sunderland. We are not in the top ten. I hear people talking about Europa League, about Europe. We can’t speak about that when we lose 5-0 at home. Now we have to prepare game after game to be at the best place possible at the end of the season. There are four games left, and we have to give maximum effort. What will be, will be.”

With Sunderland having now lost two in quick succession, Le Fée acknowledged how quickly momentum can shift at this stage of the campaign. “It goes very fast. Two days ago, we were speaking about six games left, now there are four, and we’ve lost two,” he added. “We have a good week to prepare because it will be a similar game. We have to fight better than this. I don’t speak about quality. I speak about attitude and mindset. We have to rebuild this.”

Sunderland’s defensive record has deteriorated sharply, with nine goals conceded across the last two matches, but Le Fée was keen to stress the issue is collective rather than structural. “I don’t think it’s about the defence,” he said. “We were strong because we defended with eleven players. Maybe we can be a bit tired as well because the season was long. But it’s a question of mindset. The mindset wasn’t good today. It wasn’t enough. If we want to be good in this league, we have to be at 100% every game, and it wasn’t the case.”

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Le Fée also revealed the tone inside the dressing room at half-time, with the focus shifting quickly to damage limitation. “At half-time, we just said it was finished. You can’t come back. The only focus was to win the second half,” he explained. “We wanted to create emotion, to put some fire on the pitch. We tried, but it wasn’t enough. At the end, we conceded one more, and I think we started the game too late.”

Despite the disappointment, the Frenchman reiterated his commitment to the team, regardless of his role, amid ongoing discussion about his best position. “Of course, I prefer to play more central, but I’m happy just to play,” he said. “Even on the left. The coach gives me freedom there. Maybe midfield is better for me, but I can play as a winger. To be honest, I don’t care. I prefer to play than be on the bench. Wherever I am on the pitch, I will fight.”

Sunderland are next in action against Wolves away from home this coming Saturday in the Premier League.

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