Daniel Wales reports from the Academy of Light as Sunderland Head Coach Régis Le Bris had looked ahead to the Black Cats’ next Premier League fixture at home to Everton, with Le Bris detailing the family feel inside the Sunderland squad that adding to his enjoyment of the Premier League season so far.
00:00Sunderland's win away against Chelsea was nothing short of remarkable,
00:04given that this is the Black Cats' first season back in the top flight since 2017.
00:09Regis Labrice's side are nearly halfway to their target of 40 points,
00:13to all but guarantee their safety.
00:16Keeping a lid on expectations will be key for Labrice at present,
00:20to make sure that the players and supporters alike don't get too far ahead of themselves,
00:25given the tough challenges that are still to come this season.
00:27But at the same time, it would be difficult from a red and white perspective
00:31to not be enjoying the side's current form,
00:34given all of the years of hardship that Sunderland have endured
00:37since their last season in the Premier League.
00:40Where the Black Cats will be in several weeks' time remains to be seen,
00:43but at present, not many teams in the top flight would be too keen to face them,
00:48at home or away, as was demonstrated by that comeback win against Chelsea,
00:53which has been a huge talking point not just here in the North East,
00:56but around the country,
00:58since Tremsdine Telby guided the ball into the back of the net in stoppage time,
01:03sending the travelling away supporters wild.
01:08Labrice admitted though that he is not paying attention to the league table,
01:12and will only reflect on the season in great detail once it is finished.
01:16Any complacency, they just enjoy playing together and showing their quality on the pitch.
01:27Probably because we have many young players, they didn't experience tough moments.
01:35Rajis, being in the Premier League is of course new for a lot of your players,
01:39especially the younger parts of your squad.
01:42Actually, does that make every game an occasion for them and an exciting thing for them and for you?
01:47Yes, it's really the case.
01:50We are fighting against the best teams and I think we need that to get better and to grow.
02:00And because for many players, it's a new experience, we are like kids on the pitch and it's really positive because this energy is not common and connected with more experienced players, the balance is really positive.
02:19Yeah, you've spoken a lot about connections in your squad and getting players to work and interlink with each other.
02:24Do some of those develop naturally on their own without your input and actually can that be just as beneficial as players being coached together?
02:32Yeah, I think their relationship is really important because if we think that we'll solve problems,
02:45we'll fix different issues on the pitch and we'll solve opportunities through our relationships, it's better if around the pitch you have already this connection and it's tough to implement
03:01because you never know how a relationship will evolve, how can it start as well.
03:09And so far, we signed 14 players and they are like in their family after one, two or three seasons, so it's strange sometimes, but it's the case.
03:26And you said you won't reflect on this season until obviously the end of it come May, but just at this point right now at the present, how much are you actually enjoying it?
03:34It's really positive, it's always better to win games, to feel that our players on the squad is improving massively and the connection we have every day is really positive.
03:49I enjoy working with them even after defeat, it was the case twice this season.
03:54They never tried to deny their responsibilities, they accepted their mistakes and tried to work on it.
04:03Whilst Regis Labrice may not be looking too far into the future and is determined to keep a lid on expectations,
04:09he is clearly pleased with the family feel that has been created despite all of the new players that joined the club in the summer.
04:16And he is enjoying the campaign at this present moment.
04:19That bodes well and Sunderland may well reach their safety target earlier than expected.
04:24However, should bumps in the road come along, Labrice clearly has faith in the bonds that his players have created to drag themselves out of problems.
04:33Plenty of football is still to be played of course, but there's no doubt that Sunderland are in a good place right now.
04:39And it is quite clearly creating a buzz in the city for all of the supporters.
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