REGIS LE BRIS was adamant he did not want his Sunderland side to change their playing style – even though they found themselves with ten men for the second half of last night’s 1-0 defeat at Sheffield United.
The Black Cats were reduced to ten men in the first half after Chris Mepham was sent off for a tackle on Tyrese Campbell, while Sheffield United had a man sent off before halftime when Harry Souttar received two cautions.
When Mepham was dismissed, most managers would have immediately brought on another defender, but with Aji Alese and Leo Hjelde on the bench, Le Bris chose to play the second half with only one centre-back.
While the Black Cats ultimately ended up losing 1-0, Le Bris’ tactical bravery worked, with the visitors continuing to dominate for much of the second half as they created chances in the final third, only for their finishing to let them down.
“We kept a 4-4-1, then when we were in possession, we went to a 3-1-4-1,” said the Sunderland boss. “It was really a case of trying to keep the same structure we had previously with 11 players.
“It wasn’t the same control on the ball because probably the references were a little bit different, but I thought we managed that situation okay.”
Le Bris has stuck to his principles throughout his Sunderland reign, and did not want the departure of Mepham to result in a wholesale change of approach.
“I think it was a good option because that is our identity and we don’t want to play a different type of football or another style of play,” he said. “I think we were consistent, even though we had one man less.
“The players adapted very well, I think, although we have to accept there was a bit of a lack of impact in the final third. We have to be able to finish things off.”
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