Régis Le Bris delivers interesting insight on Sunderland's tactical development - and what he wants next
Sunderland have suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats but it has been a hugely successful first season back at the level
Régis Le Bris believes his Sunderland team are heading in the right direction but has stressed the importance of not losing their strong defensive foundation moving into the future.
Ahead of Sunderland's clash against Nottingham Forest last week, Le Bris was asked for his views on the tactical evolution of his side this season and where he wants to take them moving forward. Friday night's game perhaps served to underline the head coach's point, with Sunderland off the pace and beaten 5-0 by a ruthless opponent.
Le Bris believes his side have improved over the course of the campaign in their ability to press high and to manage the game in possession, but there is clearly room for improvement in the final third. However, the head coach was absolutely clear that this cannot come at the expense of defensive solidity.
"I think it's really important to reinforce our strength in the beginning," Le Bris said.
"So the way we are working together, the togetherness is key. And in this squad, we have this ability to connect with each other and to work for your teammates. So it's important to keep it. In this season, the defensive structure has been good, the way we can defend the box. We improved the way we press the opponent and the management of the first contact, the second ball.
"So when we played against Aston Villa, they went more than 30 times long. So we forced them to play long and we were able to manage the ball. You manage the ball, you can attack, counter-attack. I think this part of the game is still really interesting, so we need to reinforce it. The build-up on the control of the ball is getting better, so keep going because it's not something easy to do. And the final third is still key, we know that. So it's about patterns, it's about connections, but it's also about individuals. So we have good potential in the team. Probably not mature enough to be consistent at the minute, but if we give them time and support, I think they will achieve this goal."
Sunderland are looking to bounce back from those back-to-back defeats when they face Wolves at Molineux on Saturday.
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RLB: We won’t rest on our laurels this summer
Le Bris was also asked about the prospect of ‘second-season syndrome’, in which some promoted clubs catch the Premier League by surprise before struggling the following campaign.
The Sunderland head coach said he couldn’t predict the future but that the club would work to improve right across the board this summer.
“We'll see, it shows once again that you have to grow and move forward," Le Bris said.
"Otherwise, if you stay at the same level, you get finished really quickly. It's clear in our mind that we have to improve our team. We have to improve our club, we have to improve our coaching staff. I have to improve my game model and the way I manage the team. It's the mindset of the club. After that, you never know the [level of] the competition and the opponent."
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