Sunderland are in contention for a top-half finish ahead of the Premier League run in
Régis Le Bris says a strong finish to the campaign is crucial to setting Sunderland up for success next season.
The Black Cats have secured back-to-back Premier League wins, not only all but securing their top-tier status for next season but also pushing them firmly back into contention for European football next season. Le Bris says it is a positive to be heading into the last six games of the campaign without the pressure of a relegation battle but added that he can sense his team are ambitious and eager to end the campaign on a high.
The Sunderland head coach said he was impressed by the intensity in training over the last couple of months and that internally, there remained a big pressure to keep performing.
"It's really positive to live this period like that [without the fear of relegation]," Le Bris said.
"And the pressure is still high, it's really high because it's about, I repeat, our standards.
"The way we are working now will define the beginning of the next season, so it's so important to stay consistent now, to create other layers in our game model, to adjust to different topics, and we are working well. So it's positive because we deserve to be in this position, and at the same time it's still demanding.
"It shows that we had a great season, unexpected probably, and probably the fans are happy and they want to dream, which is totally acceptable. For us the topic is the same, we want to improve our structure, we want to get better, we want to go as far as possible, and we'll see. This part of the table is really tight, so anything is possible, we'll see.
"Our approach remains the same." he added.
"The results are a consequence of the daily standards. If we stay consistent, we want to learn, we want to keep this identity, this togetherness, we want to stay consistent, we don't know what we can achieve really. So it's about this daily ambition, and I felt once again this week that the energy is growing and it's positive."
Sunderland face a stern test of their credentials when they travel to face Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, with Unai Emery's side currently sat fourth in the Premier League.
Régis Le Bris reveals what he told his players this week
Le Bris said his message to the players behind the scenes this week is that the competition will make them better in the strong run, and hailed Trai Hume for his response to the disappointment of dropping to the bench last weekend.
“We spoke with the players around this important topic,” Le Bris said.
“It didn't happen often this year, probably a bit at the beginning then after that we had the AFCON, injuries and so on. But the purpose of the club is to grow. If you want to grow, you need depth in your squad. It means competition in different positions.
“For example, Trai Hume is probably now the second highest game time in the squad. He was on the bench for this game but he was ready to start and to come on if it was necessary and he did well. It's about our culture. You will have more depth but also this competition allows us to push ourselves and be more competitive as a squad.”
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