Regis Le Bris is adamant that Sunderland play Norwich City at the Stadium of Light tomorrow.
The Black Cats have won three of their previous three games, with a draw against Bristol City in between. The win at Swansea City last weekend was crucial, and Le Bris’ squad will now return home in the hopes of winning three straight games.
Le Bris has confirmed that although there has been illness at the club, the players are healthy, therefore they must choose who to start at the back now that Luke O’Nien has returned.
“They appear to be doing well at the moment, but it’s uncertain,” he stated. “I have options, and having a lot of good options is crucial for the squad’s many areas.
“We have five games until the January 4 so we will have to manage the full squad and if we have many options, it’s better for me, better for the team, and it’s better for the players because they know that they can’t play at their highest level every time, so we need a squad and we can manage five, six, seven players for positions I think it’s better for us.”
Norwich present another different challenge. Le Bris added: “Norwich are a good team, they press with high intensity, high up the pitch and they are good in that part of the game and with the ball they have many qualities as well.
“So it should be a good challenge again, a tough challenge. We can start with a game-plan and if one team scores the other has to react so it’s still unpredictable but this team have many good qualities.”
Bouncing back from 2-0 down at Swansea has given the team added confidence and Le Bris added: “It was a slow start to the game but for many reasons. We conceded two goals. Sometimes it can happen and it doesn’t mean the team wasn’t involved in the game. Sometimes it can be a decision and the scenario was like that. Maybe we were a bit slow in possession especially.
“But on the bench we knew we were close to our direct opponent and it was possible to win because we have good qualities and we could manage the situation.
“We were 2-0 down, then 2-1 and then probably, even though in the last four or five games we were not very clinical, the confidence was there and we could play our game. I felt confidence, character and resilience was important. Now it’s a question of new experiences with five games in a short period so it will be different.”
There were reports of Le Bris wanting to bring in an extra coach for set-pieces but he said: “We are still aware what we can improve but the main priority is not that one. It’s in the background, it’s still an option, but the priority is to prepare the game, play the game, analyse and prepare for the next one. Then we have a transfer window very close and that’s the main focus right now.”
“Probably we have a specific attention about one or two players who can help [strikers], but it’s not an easy task because the group is strong,” Le Bris added when asked if he wanted to add a striker.
The club’s identity, in my opinion, is reflected in its abundance of young players and surprises, some of whom were not expected to play at that level but who have been given the chance to do so. They demonstrated their ability to play at that level.
“Now, it comes down to opportunity, injuries, and consistency. It comes down to connection. It’s not as simple as adding a new player; the candidate must be compatible with the project and the team.
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