Sunderland searching for “balance” as Real Betis win on Wearside

5 months ago

Daniel Wales reports from the Stadium of Light as Sunderland lose 0-1 against Spanish side Real Betis in pre-season, with the Régis Le Bris hands out three debuts ahead of the new Premier League season.

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00:00A loss for Sunderland on Wearside, but three debuts handed out by head coach Regis Labriss

00:09as he continues to prepare the Black Cats for their return to the Premier League after eight years away.

00:16It's our Rubal 74th minute header for Real Betis, so the Spanish side leave here on Wearside with the win in pre-season.

00:24Certainly not the result that Regis Labriss or the Sunderland supporters who turned up here today

00:28would have wanted, but I think what's more important is that Regis Labriss managed to get valuable minutes

00:34into the legs of a lot of players who would probably play a big part in their season opener

00:39in the Premier League against West Ham in a couple of weeks' time.

00:43In terms of Sunderland's performance, well, they had good moments going forward,

00:47but ultimately in the final third their decision-making let them down on a number of occasions.

00:52Let's go back through the game now to see just how Sunderland managed to lose on this occasion,

00:57but what it will mean for them going forward as the Premier League draws ever nearer.

01:03Blue skies and bright sunshine over the Stadium of Light greeted the Black Cats

01:08as they welcomed Real Betis of Spain to Wearside for their first friendly in the North East

01:15ahead of the Premier League season.

01:17Many Sunderland supporters were adorning the club's new home kit ahead of the upcoming campaign

01:23as they flocked through the turnstiles ahead of the three o'clock kick-off.

01:28Since the promotion in May, there has been a quiet excitement about the city of Sunderland,

01:34which has only been added to by some of the acquisitions they have made so far this summer in the transfer window.

01:40Three of them made their debuts against Real Betis,

01:43including Granit Xhaka, who signed just recently from Bayer Leverkusen,

01:48having previously played for Arsenal in England's top flight.

01:52Also present was Robin Roofs in goal for Sunderland,

01:56deputising for Anthony Patterson,

01:58as well as Ronaldo Mandeva,

02:01playing at centre-half for the Black Cats for the first time since joining the club.

02:06Sunderland held their own in the first half,

02:08although Betis went closest through Valentin Gomes striking the crossbar.

02:12Then, in the 74th minute, it was the Spanish side who led,

02:15thanks to Rubal's well-directed header that left Roofs with no chance.

02:19Lebris, though, said it was another step in the right direction.

02:22Yeah, I think we added the new building blocks today with a bit more experience,

02:33with Robin, Granit and Renildo.

02:40So, it was clear in our mind that we needed a balance, balance within the squad.

02:48So, we started with our recruitment window with young players,

02:52and we have already many young players in our squad.

02:55And it was obvious that we needed experience and maturity.

02:59And today, especially for the build-up from the back,

03:05we showed composure and confidence.

03:09During the first half, I think, it was balance

03:11because we had this level of control,

03:15but with the ability to create chances.

03:17It was a bit different during the second half.

03:19The rhythm dropped a bit.

03:22It was more a friendly game.

03:24For Sunderland, the main issues came in front of Goal

03:27and supplying Aliza Mayenda with enough chances to score.

03:32We had opportunities today, I think.

03:36Many touches in the opponent's box.

03:39So, it's always the final bit to improve.

03:43So, during a pre-season, especially with a new group,

03:47it's always like new layers.

03:50So, we start from the back and then a bit higher

03:53and then a bit higher again.

03:56So, now it's a question of this finishing zone,

03:59which is probably the most difficult.

04:02Following this loss against Europa League side Real Betters,

04:05Sunderland have just two fixtures remaining

04:07of their pre-season campaign

04:09before the season opener against West Ham.

04:12They'll take on Augsburg and Rio Vallecano next week.

04:16In the meantime, of course,

04:17they'll be back on the training ground

04:18trying to perfect those patterns of play

04:20that Regis Libris has been trying to implement

04:22and, of course, improving their decision-making

04:25in the final third.

04:27That was what let them down today

04:28against Real Betters

04:30and scoring enough goals will be key

04:32to them surviving in the Premier League next season.

04:34Lots to work on for Sunderland

04:35but also still plenty of excitement here

04:37on Wearside

04:38as the kick-off for the big season

04:40in the Premier League draws it ever nearer

04:42for the Black Cat.

04:43For the Black Cat.

Sunderland searching for “balance” as Real Betis win on Wearside

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