Sunderland fell to a 2-0 defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor in their second Premier League fixture on Saturday
Régis Le Bris insisted that Sunderland won't overreact to their first Premier League defeat on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats missed two big early chances at Turf Moor and were punished in the second half; Josh Cullen opening the scoring for Burnley and Jaidon Anthony adding another late on after a strong defensive showing from the hosts.
Le Bris also saw key defender Dan Ballard limp out of the game in the early exchanges, but insisted that would not alter the club's 'specific' plan for the closing stages of the transfer window.
Here's everything Le Bris said in his post-match press conference...
Thoughts on the performance first and foremost?
"Disappointed, because I think we started well, our first half was positive, we created two chances, and we were in our game plan, I think we dominated this first half. But at the beginning of the second one, we made a small mistake and conceded this goal, and after that the game changed completely, they dropped into their back five, four-one, deep, well-organised, aggressive block, and we struggled to find the good tempo, the good rhythm, to create chances, and in that situation, when you are a bit sloppy, but not accurate enough, I think it's really obvious that you will concede counter-attacks, and that was the story of the second goal.
We've talked a lot in the build-up to the season about being clinical, and how important that's going to be, and today it felt like a game where the first goal was very important?
"Yes, fine margins, and if you score early, because it was possible today, I think the scenario changed completely, and for us it would have been the best option, and we created this chance, so it's positive, I think, because sometimes you don't create anything.
How was Dan Ballard? That obviously didn't help him in terms of the game itself?
"Yes, especially against direct play. When we pressed high, they went long all the time, and Ballard is always really important in that situation, so we'll wait Monday to have a diagnosis. It's a groin injury, but we don't know yet how serious.
You mentioned how well Burnley defended in the second half. Were you concerned that you weren't able to create more chances chasing the game?
"Not at the minute, because we know that this problem is really hard to solve, so it's just not for us. I think it's for every team in the league, so when you face a well-organised block like that, you need probably better references, shared references, better culture, and we're still in construction and work in progress for our team, so we started with eight or nine new players, so this situation is probably the most complicated, so I'm not too worried. I just know that we have to improve this part.
Having to play Enzo on the left doesn't help - is it important to sign another winger to free him up?
"No, Enzo did well last season in this position. I think when you have a midfielder, a creative midfielder in this situation, it could be efficient. The central corridor was really compact, so often it's interesting to start with wide areas, but you need to give the ball in the right timing. That wasn't really the case today, so it was tough to find spaces and time. So it's a good option for the future [still].
Will the extent of Dan Ballard's injury dictate what you do in the last week in the window?
"It's not only connected with this injury. I think we have our plans, the way we want to build the squad. We don't have many signatures to do now. We have two specific areas, and I hope we'll have the options before the end of the transfer window.
You said on Thursday that you'd want to sign a defender if possible. If Dan is injured, might that then stop Jenson Seelt going out on loan?
"We'll see, because we'll have the international break soon. Luke is not too far from joining the team again, so we know that later we'll have this option as well. We don't need to have five or six centre-backs. I think it doesn't make sense, because you can have one or two, three spare players. Useful if you have many suspensions or injuries, but in the continuity of the season, they won't be involved. It's not positive for them, it's positive for us. So we'll make this decision later.
Did today just come too soon for Nordi Mukiele?
"He was close, so we'll have this option as well. Nordi can play as a centre-back, so we'll wait on Tuesday.
Was today a bit of a reality check in terms of how difficult the Premier League is?
"Yes, probably. It's not a surprise for me, it's not a surprise for the players, for the club. I don't know for the fans, I'm not sure, because I think they know how tough this league is. You enjoy when you win, but you won't be too negative when you lose. I think we'll be balanced. Especially because I think we played well, especially in the first half. It means that we're still a work in progress. We need time, we need to be clinical in that league. Otherwise, we know the output and the outcome of the game.
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