Enzo Le Fée scored from the spot and helped create Sunderland’s winner as Le Bris praises his “massive” influence
Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has praised Enzo Le Fée for his “massive” influence in the 2-1 Premier League victory over Brentford at the Stadium of Light, describing the midfielder as crucial in the team’s tactical approach.
Le Fée, who joined Sunderland permanently from Roma this summer after impressing on loan last season, came into the starting XI for Simon Adingra to make his first-ever Premier League start. The 25-year-old made an immediate impact, scoring Sunderland’s equalising penalty before playing the pass to Granit Xhaka, whose cross set up Wilson Isidor’s dramatic stoppage-time winner.
“Massive,” Le Bris said when asked about Le Fée’s contribution after the game against Brentford. “Because he can understand football. He can play on the left, in the midfield – almost three positions, I think – and he can manage different problems in real-time.
“You have the game plan, so we can anticipate some problems, but the quality of a player is to solve problems in real-time and to seize opportunities when you have opportunities. It was the case with Granit and Enzo just at the end for the goal, for example.”
Le Bris praised Le Fée’s ability to read the game and his role in Sunderland’s attacking fluidity, which caused Brentford problems throughout. The Sunderland boss also highlighted how quickly his squad have adapted, despite a high turnover of players in the summer. He added: Yes, I like it. I think it worked well for the last 20-25 minutes. We were really well-organised after that.”
However, Le Bris admitted there is still room for improvement, particularly when defending transitions. The Sunderland head coach said: “I think we still have room for improvement because we moved a lot, but one of the problems of this game was the rest defence and the way we could manage the counter-attacks. We were just on the edge.
“I think we have this ability to be mobile, and it's difficult for the opponent to find references because sometimes it would be Noah, Enzo, Granit, so you don't know who is your main reference when you want to press. At the same time, we still have to stay well-organised if we lose the ball, so we were just on the limit today.”
Régis Le Bris delivers Wilson Isidor verdict after Brentford
Le Bris has hailed Isidor after the striker came off the bench to score a dramatic stoppage-time winner in the 2-1 Premier League victory over Brentford at the Stadium of Light, less than 24 hours after becoming a father.
The 25-year-old French forward flew back to Wearside on Friday evening, making himself available for selection on Saturday morning, and wrote himself into Sunderland folklore by netting the decisive goal in the 96th minute.
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Le Bris revealed after the game just how remarkable Isidor’s preparation had been: “Yes, it's brilliant. I agree. Wilson is really well connected with the club, with the squad, with this project. He didn't start the two first games. Yesterday was busy for him. It was a special day. He flew yesterday evening and got ready immediately this morning.”
Isidor has now scored two goals from the bench in three league appearances, despite not yet starting a Premier League game under Le Bris. The head coach added: “He connected with the squad and wanted to know how the game was planned,” Le Bris added. “When he came on, he showed that he was ready. He's scored two of the three now, but he's yet to start a Premier League game.”
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