How can Régis Le Bris best prepare his side for Saturday’s match against Middlesbrough?

With the rivalry that isn’t really a derby (or is it?) looming large, what type of signals should Le Bris be sending to his players before of the big game against Middlesbrough?

Gav says…

I feel the best advise he can give his players at this point is to trust in themselves and the hard work they have put in every day in training. It’s resulted in one of the best starts to a season this club has ever had, and we can’t let last weekend’s tight setback define us.

It’s evident that he’s a stickler for detail and expects great standards from his players, so there should be no reason why they’re not well prepared for the challenge that awaits them on Saturday.

One thing this club does not do well is make everyone aware of how important this occasion is to our opponents, which is why we seem to lose more often than not when we face Boro, and while that must be considered in Le Bris’ preparations for this weekend, it should not define our approach.

Instead, we only need to believe in the process, and Le Bris should have little to say about motivation.

We have local men on the team who understand what it means to play for Sunderland, and so far this season it appears that they’ve done a decent job instilling that in their colleagues, so the drive must come from inside.

Believe in yourself and your work; it will pay off on the pitch.

Dan Harrison explains…

You have to see tonight as a chance for atonement, not just for the poor performance last week, but also for the disappointing finale to this fixture last season.

Le Bris has immersed himself in the local culture, so despite the fact that this is the ‘derby that’s not a derby but by saying it makes it a derby, derby,’ there will be some understanding behind the game.

Our players are aware that they have set a very high bar this season, and while their performance last weekend was not awful, it fell short of what they know they are capable of. As a reminder, they establish the expectation so that everyone understands that this team can produce when they stick to what they know.

From a tactical standpoint, I believe Le Bris will have briefed his players all week on the Middlesbrough midfield, and whomever gets the start in midfield will have to bring their A-game to stop it.

In terms of attacking, Eliezer Mayenda has dragged defenders about, and our wingers appear to be full of confidence, which will only benefit us against an aged Luke Ayling.

Finally, while Dan Ballard may be unable to atone for his mistakes from last week, I’m sure Trai Hume and Anthony Patterson will be anxious to make amends, and there’s no better way to do it than in front of a noisy home crowd.

For us, as supporters, it’s time to move on and prepare for another thrilling game at the Stadium of Light. We’ve taken six points out of six at home so far; let’s make it nine out of nine, as our next home game isn’t until October.

Malc Dugdale claims…

I’d just tell the players that they just given our club its best start in a century, and they’re more than capable of recovering from the setback, which was really a one-goal loss on our longest away trip of the season.

Le Bris should also urge the team to support one another, like they did before Plymouth, and to rally as a group rather than reacting individually.

All three goals on Saturday were preventable. We had a crippling own goal, a poor penalty, and a parry from the goalie, which he knows he could have handled better.

All of these blunders can happen to anyone throughout the course of a season, and they will most certainly happen again, but the chances of them all occurring in the same game are extremely unlikely.

It’s how we accept it as a team and squad and get back out there to correct the wrongs that matters the most.

Let’s get around Ballard and Patto and give this upcoming game our all. We have some recent outcomes against these Smoggies to make up for, and based on 80% of our first five games, now is the moment to show them what we are truly capable of.

Trust the coach and yourself, and let’s put another win on the board and move on.

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Mark Roberts explains…

There should be minimal words required for motivating.

I’m only now getting over my disappointment from last Saturday, which is rare.

In previous years, we’ve had our allegiance challenged, our resilience strengthened, and our expectations lowered, but last week was different.

The extraordinary four wins, followed by the two-week gap, caused me to believe I was in a ‘Ted Lasso’ episode. The belief was there, but the poor performance hurt me hard, and I hope it affected the entire squad as badly.

The players who did not start will be chomping at the bit to make the lineup, while last week’s struggling players will be anxious to make amends for their poor performance.

It shouldn’t matter who we play against, even if it’s a team from a little village in Yorkshire; the players’ motivation should already be at 100%.

It is our responsibility to create a noise, demonstrate our zeal, and drown out our inferior local competitors. We are Sunderland.

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