Reflections on Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal
Sunderland sit fourth in the Premier League having made a superb start to the campaign
Régis Le Bris believes Sunderland's decision to target players with strong availability records and a history of covering significant distances in games has been key to their start to the Premier League.
The Black Cats have made an excellent return to the top tier so far, taking 19 points from their first 11 games. Having beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Sunderland then became only the third team this season after Liverpool and Manchester City to take points off Arsenal with a 2-2 draw last Saturday. One of the key factors in Sunderland's success is that they have been able to match the athleticism and physicality of their opponents so far. The head coach has explained that this is no fluke but a result of Sunderland's summer analysis.
"Robustness is key in this league," Le Bris said.
"You have to have a specific profile and we can now use data to profile the players. If you don't have ability to run in your previous league, it will be tough to do so in the Premier League. If in your career previously you had many injuries, it means that it might be difficult to play in this league. So with these two topics, I think we avoided big mistakes and then after that, the players have to experience the Premier League. So far, so good. I hope it can continue like this."
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What has impressed Régis Le Bris about Noah Sadiki at Sunderland
Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki have led the way for Sunderland’s impressive running data since returning to the Premier League, with the latter quickly establishing himself as one of the brightest midfield prospects in the top tier.
Le Bris says it is the 20-year-old’s mentality that is key to his progress.
“We can forget that he is only 20,” Le Bris said.
“He is a really good player. He has a different personality, but I think he is really smart to understand what is needed to go further. He looks at what type of specific profile he needs to progress – technical, physical. You don’t always find the same profile with every player – he has own characteristics, but I think they fit well with the demands of the Premier League. At the same time, though, you have to have the mentality to learn and be aware of what the characteristics of your environment are and what you need to do to improve. What can I do to get better? What advice do I need to take from other members of the team? He has this combination of talent on one side, then on the other side, the ability to learn.
“He got a bit frustrated in the first half against Everton and we spoke about this topic, it was probably the first time he wasn't so composed emotionally,” Le Bris added.
“It's a good lesson for him, because he had the ability to feel it and fix it in real time, which is not always obvious for a young player. And then he did well. One more quality, one more lesson.”
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