Daniel Wales reports from the Academy of Light where Sunderland Head Coach Régis Le Bris has shared his belief in the squad that he and his staff have built for the Premier League, ahead of the Black Cats welcoming Brentford to Wearside.
00:00In the first two match weeks of Premier League action, Sunderland have already experienced the highs and lows of life back in England's top flight, winning 3-0 against West Ham before losing 2-0 away at Burnley.
00:13Life in the Premier League is certainly testing, something Regis Labrice will have known the moment that he secured promotion for the Black Cats back in May, and he has been preparing his squad accordingly for the demands of the top flights ever since.
00:28Sunderland have certainly been very active in the transfer market this summer to build a squad that Labrice and his staff believe will be competitive enough to survive this season.
00:37That, coupled with the players that were already here at the club, has created depth, something which is very much needed to cope at this level of English football, as well as understanding just what Sunderland is all about as a club that has high ambitions.
00:52In the opening two league games and one cup game, Labrice has managed to witness next to all of his squad for a prolonged period of time on the pitch, and what he has learned could be key in making sure Sunderland are competitive throughout the campaign.
01:07I think one of the important points we had during the record run process was the pace and the rhythm.
01:15We know that this league is really demanding according to the intensity, the high sprint load and so on.
01:23So, so far we showed that the players who came in are connected with this idea, it's really clear.
01:33After that, for the depth, yeah, it's still possible to increase the numbers for one or two positions, and I hope it will be the case at the end of the transfer window.
01:44But I'm still confident because I like the versatility of two, three, four, five players, they will help, able to play, for example, as a winger or as a midfielder, as a striker or as a winger, for example.
02:00So, just wait three days and we'll have the definitive squad.
02:05On that point there, you mentioned that you could bring in a couple more new players.
02:11When the window does close on Monday evening, how will you sit and reflect on it in terms of making this club primarily ready?
02:18I think we'll know at the end of the season, or maybe earlier if it's possible.
02:24It's still a difficult task for our club, sometimes for our manager, because we have two timelines.
02:37The first one is the squad we have, and we have to believe that this squad will be ready and work with them, support them, trust them.
02:45And the other side, if we can improve with one or two more signings, maybe it can help the process.
02:50So, at the end of the transfer window, this part will be closed and we'll have a strong focus just for the development of our squad.
02:58And I think with young players and young team, because the experience is not huge, the expectation is higher because the room for improvement is big.
03:10And just finally, against West Ham, your opening league match, you did sort of a bit of pressure in the first half.
03:16West Ham had perhaps more of the ball.
03:17Then on a second, you went on to be very, very clinical, took your chances really well.
03:21You'd be quite happy, even when you're at home, for teams to have a bit of the ball, knowing that you could hit them when you need to.
03:27Yeah, it's always a question of balance.
03:30And I think sometimes you can have the idea to control possession, but the opponent is stronger.
03:35Because they can control sometimes just one decision, one event on the pitch can generate momentum for 15 minutes and you will struggle because you will concede maybe two, three, four set pieces and you stay in your own half.
03:53And it's tough to change the rhythm and momentum, especially in this Premier League.
04:00So you can have your ideas, but after that, the reality is always connected with the opposition.
04:06The defeat against Burnley and the Carabao Cup exit against Huddersfield Town has not affected Le Brice's process, something that he made abundantly clear.
04:17He is also evidently happy with the squad that he currently has at his disposal, although there were hints that one or two more additions would not go amiss before the end of the transfer window on the 1st of September.
04:29Whether his wishes are granted remains to be seen, but Le Brice has a belief in those who are already here to soak up pressure when needed and then to be clinical to gain those all-important points.
Be the first to comment