'Really good place': Régis Le Bris issues strong Sunderland message after back-to-back defeats

Régis Le Bris insists Sunderland are in a 'really good place' despite back-to-back defeats and says his young squad deserve support as they battle the absence of a number of key players.

Sunderland's 1-0 defeat to Brighton was their third league home defeat in a row, and came six days after the shock FA Cup fifth round defeat to League One strugglers Port Vale. Le Bris said he understood the frustration with the club's dip in form of recent times, but says his team have achieved something 'really impressive' in reaching 40 points in early March. Le Bris said his young players are learning a lot from their recent experiences and that they had to quickly focus on Sunday's Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday.

"We are learning. I repeat, this is our first season in the Premier League," Le Bris said.

"Probably not many people expected our situation right now.

"We are disappointed after our defeat, that's fair but we are in a really good place. The players are doing well. Ups and downs, but the mentality is good. Sometimes you don't have the best of times, but I think mainly it was really positive [this season]. And for the future, the last part of the season will help us as well. Because with those young players in the squad, they will have the opportunity to show themselves. It was the case for Melker, for example: It's a shock for him with the speed, the quality of the players in the Premier League. But until you don't experience it, you don't know if the player has the ability to go forward or not. So we are learning every day. They deserve support.

"I think we have ups and downs emotionally, which is normal," Le Bris added.

"Because when we lose, we are not happy. That's clear. But week by week, you can change the dynamic quickly. It was the case at Leeds, I think the lads deserve huge credit for that win. And to reach 40 points at that stage of the season, early March, it's impressive. After that, two defeats in a row - yeah, we're not happy. But we want to work hard, we want to get better and we want to react. And I think sometimes the result is not the result expected. It could have been the opposite today, to be fair but it wasn't the case.

"So keep going and we have an important game in one week. And we want to be the strongest version of Sunderland as soon as possible."

Le Bris is hopeful that Reinildo and Enzo Le Fée will return to bolster his threadbare squad on Sunday, though Dan Ballard is an early doubt after suffering a hamstring injury against Brighton. Robin Roefs and Nordi Mukiele are in a race to be fit to feature, with the Black Cats likely to have to make a call on whether to risk bringing them back slightly ahead of schedule.

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Le Bris delivers verdict on Sunderland’s attacking struggles

Though Sunderland thought they had been rewarded for an excellent start to the second half against Brighton when Chris Rigg put them ahead only for the goal to be ruled out for offside, the Black Cats struggled to consistently create chances as they chased the game late on.

Le Bris admits his side have to improve in the final third but felt Rigg's performance was a clear positive from the day.

"We are working hard with the players and it's not only about individuals, it's about the collective behaviours," Le Bris said.

"We want to set the right standards. We probably need to cross more, shoot more, we need to counter press a bit more for the second phases. After that it's a question of confidence, sometimes a click can change the dynamic.

"The group is small, and we have many injuries," Le Bris added.

"It's a young squad, new in the Premier League. We reached 40 points last week. It gives the opportunity for the young lads to experience the Premier League. I think their character and resilience was good today, but they need to learn and they need to experience different situations to get better. At the moment, it's really important to support them because Chris Rigg is a good example. He's 18 and he's learning. If you compare the way he played at the beginning of the season and now, you can feel that he's learning, he's improving and he needs support and time for that."

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