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.
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