Sunderland take on Coventry City on Saturday with head coach Regis Le Bris insisting, “this final part of the season will require a high level of responsibility for the players.”
Le Bris has not given up on chasing an automatic spot and is just focusing on winning the next game in the hope that those above them slip up. The odds are remote but what is sure to be the case is that the Black Cats will have a chance of promotion.
“We will push them [players] and support them for sure but at the same time if they believe they can be successful that is the best way to finish so we will see,” said Le Bris. “We have nine games, eight after the international break, and it’s always the facts that are most important.”
Coventry are the Championship’s in-form team under Frank Lampard and Le Bris acknowledged: “They are a good team, with a good dynamic and very positive. It will be a tough test again. We need this test because our team showed they like these challenges and they need high challenges to give their best and I hope this will be the case.”
On Lampard he added: “Yes he’s a legend. As a player and probably as a coach he showed good qualities as well. He did very well with Coventry so far.”
Sunderland drew with Preston last time out, dropping more points. Le Bris admitted: “It wasn’t our best game so far but we had a specific opponent and it was really tough to control the game against Preston. They are well rounded, very direct and it was difficult to challenge them. To manage the pressing, apply high pressure and face direct plays.
“We had good periods in possession but we lost many balls as well. The whole dynamic was a bit disturbed. It was a good experience to grow as a team and as a player. Some of them faced new experiences and they need to have these experiences to grow. Obviously we would like only positive dynamics but it doesn’t work like that.”
Asked whether he preferred to have high-pressure games rather than know the likelihood is Sunderland will be in the play-offs, Le Bris added: “I don’t prefer either. We will connect with reality and have to deal with it. It’s important to understand we are not in the plays-offs yet and the next priority is to find our best shape.
“If we are too relaxed it will be a disaster. The specific ambition is to be at our top. It’s not behind us, it’s ahead of us and it’s something to chase.
“We have tough challenges, especially away, We have Coventry, West Brom, Bristol City, for example, they will be very exciting. We just take it game by game trying to improve as a team.
“This ambition is to win every game and we can learn. The squad is so small, everyone is involved. Even the injured players know they can reconnect with the squad. If the three teams above us stay the same it’s impossible to reconnect with them. We can just focus on winning the next game.
“We have to be consistent. We don’t really have to change many things. We showed together we have improved the level of team and players and we need to be aware this final stage will be really specific. Some players were here three years ago [play-off win] and they can share how tough it was and how exciting it was as well. We need to build the strength of the team.”
Le Bris has decisions to make over team selection but the important thing for him is, with those that play, they express themselves.
“It’s very important to feed the creativity but at the same time if they don’t have the foundations to create it can become a mess, probably,” he explained.
“It’s a tough balance. We use a lot of our triangles. We know the set up is very important and at the same time they have many degrees of freedom in the triangles.”
View news Source: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/regis-le-bris-sends-sunderland-31195595
