Sunderland are bidding to end a run of four Premier League defeats against Leeds United on Sunday afternoon

Régis Le Bris admits Sunderland's defensive mistakes are impacting their attempt to impose their identity and wrestle back their very best form.

Sunderland took a step in the right direction with their 1-1 draw against Lech Poznan in Poland on Thursday night, creating a lot of chances through the game with a high press and a man-for-man marking approach. They did concede a lot of chances, however, with the defensive structure that served them so well last season not as strong this time around.

Le Bris says his team do not want to forego the identity that has made them successful and believes there were positive signs in Poland.

"I think we did it against Bournemouth as well but we didn't manage the first contact, the second balls and that's a problem," Le Bris said.

"So we want to stay true to our identity. We'll press high. In the mid-press we'll be compact, narrow and we'll be proactive when it's on. But when you force an opponent to step back, they can go long. If you don't manage, like it happened twice in Bournemouth, the first contact, the second ball, you are not clean, you get punished.

"So I think we are learning and we still want to press high. We still want to play like Sunderland. But sometimes you make mistakes and you don't want to step back, you learn from the mistakes."

Le Bris felt some of the issues Sunderland had against Lech Poznan were in part because of some new partnerships on the pitch, with the head coach again rotating heavily ahead of Sunday's game against Leeds United.

"We knew before that this team is really good with the ball," Le Bris said.

"Is it in the build-up, attacking phases and in transition. In modern football, transitions are crucial. So we experienced this problem recently when we don't manage well the first contact, then the game is open and the opponent can play 3 v 3, 4 v 4, 5 v 5. So I think today we are a little bit more dominant. We still have room for improvement. For example, with Jules his position was a bit high at times, so we are a bit exposed. But still room for improvement and it was already the case today."

Le Bris was nevertheless impressed again with Ahoka, who despite having very limited experience in senior football has been excellent in his appearances so far. He is pushing hard for more Premier League minutes but the head coach also believes his current playing time is very good for his development.

"We never know how quickly these young lads will develop., which is really positive when we work with them," Le Bris said.

"I think his potential is huge, but he needs time, experience, support to get better. I think this competition is perfect for that."

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