Regis Le Bris, head coach of Sunderland, gave his assessment on Middlesbrough’s victory.
Following their 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough, Régis Le Bris commended his Sunderland players for how they handled their first loss of the Championship season.
Prior to the 3pm kickoff, the Black Cats had taken back the top spot in the table thanks to a goal by Chris Rigg in the first half. According to Le Bris, his players’ performance in training gave him positive vibes ahead of the game. He was especially happy with their defensive work.
“After the first defeat, it was difficult because I didn’t think the dynamic was broken,” he stated.
“I thought the players were really engaged throughout the week and continued to show a desire to get better. We spent a lot of time discussing our desired gameplay and game model. We only had the final day’s preparations for this game to complete, and they were heavily involved. We had to find solutions to numerous issues during the challenging match, such as their overloading of our left side in the first half. I thought that in order to tackle these issues, our team wanted to collaborate. We had a very strong mentality, but they had the momentum in the second half because they wanted to score.
We talked a lot this week about how we want to play—sometimes that’s attainable, and other times it isn’t. I felt good this week, but against a formidable opponent, you have to perform, and the players did just that.”
Le Bris applauded Chris Rigg for his goal, but what really impressed him was how hard the young player was working out each day.
“I think he is like a symbol of our process, our game model,” Le Bris stated.
“He always wants to improve, to play no matter what the situation or the opponent. I witness it every training session—he trains to be able to play like this, so he deserves to play like this.
“I don’t see any issues with the age. It is possible to be quite mature at 17 and immature at 30. Chris Rigg, in my opinion, is a fitting representation of what our team hopes to establish and develop. He is still motivated to get better and learn more about the game. If we can both agree on these things, we will have the team spirit we need to defeat a formidable foe.”
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