“This is Sunderland And We’re Ready for War!” – Legis Le Bris Fires Warning to Coventry Ahead of Playoff Showdown
‘This is Sunderland’ – Regis Le Bris addresses Coventry City gameplan ahead of play-off clash
The Sunderland head coach gave little away in terms of team selection but made his feelings clear
Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris made it clear he wants his side to be proactive and take the game to Coventry City, despite their 2-1 aggregate lead from the CBA Arena on Friday night.
The Black Cats have a slender advantage heading into the second leg at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night, after Wilson Isidor and Eliezer Mayenda were on target against the Sky Blues.
The Wearsiders have attracted plenty of praise for their display on the road on Friday night, with pundits tipping Le Bris to approach the game in a similar fashion.
“The second goal on Friday changes nothing,” the Sunderland boss said. “We have to win this game, this is in my mind.
“We have to start like the first game, we have to have the same mindset [to win]. Games are unpredictable so you have to be proactive, you cannot try to protect. We have to try and win and then we will see at the end.”
Sunderland sat deep and looked to hit Coventry on the counter during the first leg, with the Wearsiders managing just 26 per cent possession against the Sky Blues. There have been suggestions that Le Bris can’t set up in a similar fashion on Tuesday night, but the Black Cats boss disagreed.
“It’s not always about just our style, it’s also about the opponent,” Le Bris said. “Coventry were strong, they played well. With the starting XI we said, we had big strengths and some things that were not the strongest part of our game.
“The balance was right for this fixture, especially in the second half when we disturbed their patterns. We felt in this moment we were in the gameplan. In this environment, away from home, it was hard to control possession.
“We know the scenario will be different in this one. But if Coventry are strong again, the balance might be similar. But then if the output is the same, we will all be happy.
“Proactive is the main word,” Le Bris added. “With the squad more or less fully available, we know have different options. If we are in a conservative mindset, it doesn’t fit with this event, the identity of our club and our idea of how we want to play. We have to be proactive.”
When asked if something had ‘gone wrong’ if Sunderland ended Tuesday night with 24 per cent possession again, Le Bris said clearly: “I don’t agree that it is about possession. If the opponent is strong, we are Sunderland with our qualities.
“We have a strong defensive block, we can defend, recover the ball and attack quickly. This is Sunderland, this is our identity. If we have 25% possession and win 2-0, I don’t think our fans will mind.
“We like having the ball, we want it, of course. I won’t say that we accept this level of possession but it was how the game went, and we knew that in this dynamic we could win the game.
“We want the ball but we are not Barcelona. In this scenario we knew we could unbalance our opponent, the XG was similar and we scored twice. Once after a mistake yes, but we provoked it with a press.”
