Le Bris and his players head to Anfield tomorrow night sitting in sixth place in the Premier League table in the wake of Saturday’s thrilling 3-2 win over Bournemouth.
Their tally of 22 points from the opening 13 games means they are a point better off than reigning champions Liverpool, having suffered just three league defeats so far this season.
Liverpool started the campaign as favourites to defend their Premier League title, but a run of nine losses from 12 matches in all competitions saw them plummet down the table and even led to questions being raised about Arne Slot’s future in some quarters.
Sunday’s 2-0 win at West Ham enabled Slot’s side to steady the ship slightly, but after back-to-back home defeats, with seven goals conceded in the space of two games, there is still likely to be an air of edginess at Anfield when Sunderland visit tomorrow.
The Black Cats will hope to exploit any vulnerability in the home ranks, but while their own start to the season could not really have gone much better, Le Bris insists it is far too early for Sunderland to be assuming it will be plain sailing for the remainder of the campaign.
A weekend trip to the Etihad to face Manchester City follows tomorrow’s visit to Anfield, and Le Bris cites Liverpool as a prime example of just how quickly things can turn.
“Right now, we are just focusing on the next game,” said the Sunderland boss. “That is a positive, without too many expectations one way or another.
“We have started well this season and have created this confidence, but we are not crossing that line. We are always really calm and composed after a win or a good set of results.
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“At the minute, if you lose, you can have a more difficult time, but with the mindset of the squad, I am not too worried because it is part of our process.
“We might have a really tough period like Liverpool, for example. They won the league last season, yet it is possible to lose seven times in a short period. If that is possible for Liverpool, then it is possible for Sunderland.
“I am not saying it will happen, but we must be ready for different situations. You have to stay stable, and so far, the club is reacting like that. The players are connected with this idea as well.”
Sunderland briefly returned to the top four in the immediate aftermath of their weekend win, sparking external chatter of a possible push for the European places in the remainder of the season.
Internally, Le Bris insists Sunderland’s aims and ambitions have not changed, with avoiding relegation still the overriding priority. The Frenchman is aware of the outside noise about just what might be possible this season, but is constantly telling his players to ignore talk they cannot control.
“I do not pay too much attention to any of that because I am really focused just on the squad,” said Le Bris. “That is enough because we have a lot of information and a lot of work to do within the club, with our game and with the players, so we do not need to get distracted.”