Sunderland are looking to bounce back from a disappointing defeat when Burnley visit the Stadium of Light
Régis Le Bris says Sunderland must find a way to bring the same level of intensity away from home if they are to improve their form.
The Black Cats fell to a 3-1 defeat at the London Stadium last weekend after shipping three goals in a poor first-half display, with the team holding a debrief ahead of Burnley’s visit to the Stadium of Light. Le Bris had defended his set up in the immediate aftermath of the game and says a review of the footage highlighted the team’s shortcomings in both boxes on the day.
“We had a review on Friday morning and it was about intensity,” Le Bris said.
“We were well organised. So we had time to go into a full analysis, a deep analysis. We were well organised but without intensity. Our defensive third and our offensive third were weak because of the intensity, intentions, aggressiveness and so on.
“So this question is important because in one way you have to protect your house, your goal. And in another way, you have to take risks. And we didn't find this balance against West Ham. And they had a must-win mindset, it wasn't the case for us.”
Sunderland are the last unbeaten Premier League side on home turf and Le Bris said it is clear his side must improve away from Wearside.
“Yeah, numbers are numbers,” Le Bris said.
“So it's the case. So probably we have to reinforce our mindset and our resilience away. It's a key point, I agree.”
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Sunderland boss on the club’s unbeaten home record this season
Sunderland defend their unbeaten home record against Burnley on Monday night but the head coach says this ‘x factor’ will remain for his team regardless of the outcome.
“First of all, I think it shows the strong connection we have with our fans, with this place,” Le Bris said.
“It shows that we have a strength. An extra factor, a key factor, which is really useful. So, keep going. If we lose the game, it's still possible to maintain this, it doesn't mean that we'll lose this X factor.
“For me, the sequence is the sequence. It's beautiful and we can talk about it, but the most important thing is the connection, the strength we have, the belief, the responsibility as well as a team. When we go 1-0 down, for example, we want to react. Often away, it's a bit more difficult. But at home, we always show that this energy, this connection was a key factor for us. So, [we have to] keep going.”
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