NafisaRégis Le Bris praised the resilience of his Sunderland team as they battled back to draw 2-2 with Arsenal at the Stadium of Light.
It looked as if Arsenal had turned the game around when Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard struck in the second half, but Brian Brobbey’s late volley was the latest in a string of late goals for the Black Cats this year. It was yet more evidence that the club’s now fabled ‘Til The End motto has taken root in the dressing room.
“It shows that the team has a really strong character and the face that we can change the dynamic of the game with just one decision, a good connection with our crowd and it happened once again,” Le Bris said.
“It’s still tough against a team like Arsenal, one of the best teams in Europe, so you have to do a masterclass, otherwise it’s impossible to win something. I think the first half was well balanced, we tried to defend high when possible, organised a deep block, really compact, narrow, aggressive and we had the opportunity to manage the ball sometimes. We even felt that it was possible to disturb them in that part. The second half was a bit tougher because you defend for long periods and then you have to stay composed with the ball and we still have a really young squad, really young players without great experience in the Premier League, so it’s a good lesson.
“I think we were just on the edge after the 2-1, and Arsenal were dominant and they were able to keep the ball. But with the energy of the stadium, I think the characteristics of our players and the background we have now, I think it’s really positive for this faith and this belief that we can change the dynamic.
“A squad like Arsenal’s has the ability to stay composed on the ball, to get high on the pitch, and then they counter-press really aggressively with good organisation. It’s so hard to escape this pressure. After that, you try to go long. If you don’t win the first contact, you go again and you can’t breathe. It was really tough. But something changed. Sometimes you don’t know what exactly. With energy, with just one decision, I’m happy for our players.
Le Bris praised the role of the Stadium of Light crowd in helping his side rally late on.
“Yeah, I think the energy of our stands, our fans, is really important,” Le Bris said.
“We can feel it. I spoke about this topic before. When you are on the pitch, just one tackle, one decision, one counter-press, you go in behind and you try to change the dynamic.When you feel the crowd, it’s so noisy, I think it helps a lot. I hope it will be the case later again.”
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What surprised Régis Le Bris about his Sunderland players
Sunderland still had one scare to survive, when Dan Ballard made a brilliant block from Mikel Merino in stoppage time. Sunderland’s defensive commitment is something that continues to thrill Le Bris over a year on from his arrival.
“I was surprised when I started here about their attitudes to defend the goal,” Le Bris said.
“And here in Sunderland, we have many players who will give their life to keep a clean sheet or to stop a shot. And it’s a question of mentality, it’s a question of technique as well. And, for example, Trai, Ballard, Luke, are really good for that.”
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Mustapha Sheidu