Régis Le Bris expressed his dissatisfaction with Sunderland’s display as they let slip two vital points in their pursuit of automatic promotion.
A late goal from Dennis Cirkin ensured Sunderland maintained their unbeaten home record this season, following strikes from Edo Kayembe and Imran Louza that negated Luke O’Nien’s early opener. Le Bris acknowledged that his team had underperformed in the first half, though he had expected a tough match after his pre-game analysis.
“I’m a bit disappointed,” Le Bris said.
“We started well and we finished well… it wasn’t really a surprise the challenge we faced today because we knew before the game that this team was very powerful, with many players with high pace. I think probably it suits perfectly our weaknesses, we are well organised but we are not as powerful and so in 1-v-1 we were dominated. In that kind of situation the best solution is to work together, but I don’t think we did this in the first half. They had the ball and we faced that challenge. It’s never easy to find one single reason but at the end of the game we spoke about the pressure, we could have been more efficient. But because they were able to play long and to then keep the ball in 1-v-1, it’s never easy to apply a press. So the other side is to keep the ball [instead] and then the opponent can’t play long to their strength. We didn’t do this.
“I think after the second goal, we decided to play with our strength. It was more positive because it is not easy to change the dynamic of the game. Our subs helped, they brought some energy. At the end, we had good chances to win. We knew this would not be an easy challenge, they are a good team with strong individuals. We were able to change the dynamic at the end.
“These two opportunities at the end we can be disappointed with. You can struggle in a game but at the end, if you are clinical then you can win. You can say, ‘we were a bit lucky but we got three points’. We have had opportunities like this before and so it is clear that this is a part of our game we have to improve.”
Régis Le Bris issues Jobe Bellingham update after Sunderland injury blow
Le Bris conceded that Jobe Bellingham’s absence was felt throughout the match but remained optimistic about his return to the starting lineup for the upcoming clash with Luton Town at the Stadium of Light on Wednesday night.
“Especially against this kind of team, with a high level of physicality,” Le Bris said.
“Jobe is very impressive in this part of the game. He wasn’t available so we had to find another solution. We have to manage a long season with injuries, suspension… football is always like this and hopefully we will learn from this experience. Jobe had a small ankle injury but he should be available on Wednesday.”
