Sunderland must “deserve” fans’ connection says Le Bris
Sunderland must continue to “deserve” the connection from their fans says Head Coach Régis Le Bris, as they prepare to welcome Leeds United to the Stadium of Light. Le Bris was also on hand to talk tactics ahead of what could be a fascinating encounter in the transitions as both sides look to attack. Daniel Wales reports.
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00:00A smiling Regis Lebrisse was keen to talk tactics ahead of Sunderland's Friday night
00:05clash with Leeds United. Both sides employing similar attacking styles could make for a
00:11fascinating encounter, especially in transitions.
00:14In counter-attacks, we can define two different moments. The first moment is when we have
00:22the ball. So how we attack in possession. If we are very open, for example, for sure
00:32when we lose the ball, we will still be open and it's difficult to reduce the spaces.
00:40So the first element we are working on is our balance in possession. So before losing
00:48the ball. And then after the loss, we need to react. You can be very close to the ball.
00:56So at that time, the role is to chase maybe with the idea to avoid a direct pass. And
01:06then for the players who are less close to the ball, you have another decision to make.
01:16Maybe it's a defensive sprint to reform the shape. Maybe it's the way of reducing the
01:24options for the opponent and to slow down the counter-attack.
01:27Sunderland's strength in depth has been a key to their success, with Lebrisse answering
01:32just how competitive the training sessions are as players try to force their way into
01:37the side.
01:38At the moment, because the team is performing very well, all the players know that they
01:44need to wait for the opportunity. But when this opportunity will arrive, and it will
01:51arrive for sure because the championship is so long, the games are tough, the physicality
01:57is impressive, they need to be ready. So the training sessions are very interesting because
02:04we can feel this intensity and this intent in the players' mind.
02:09Finally, given Sunderland's home form, is Regis Lebrisse building a real connection
02:13with the club, especially when they play at the Stadium of Light?
02:17Yes, it's the case. Even against Derby, it was a mid-week game and the stadium was full
02:27and the energy of the crowd was still here. So the connection is still, as I explained
02:33during the pre-season, we still need to deserve this connection. So the way we are playing,
02:38the way we are working, the way we are facing with different challenges, after a defeat
02:44for example, we are still here, we are still with this mindset to win the game. Sometimes
02:51we can lose, but the game after, we are still here with the same idea to produce our best football.