Sunderland face Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Last time the two North East rivals met, back in December, the Wearsiders ran out 1-0 winners at the Stadium of Light, and will be looking to build on that result with another memorable performance against Eddie Howe’s side.
And looking ahead to Sunday lunchtime, Le Bris told a pre-match press conference that Sunderland’s recent showing against Leeds - when they went to Elland Road and ground out a 1-0 win - can offer a template for his squad at St. James’ Park.
He said: “We are just focusing on us and the way we want to approach this game, with proactivity, with togetherness, with intensity. Like we did, I think, against Leeds, for example, and Bournemouth away - two intense teams and we have the blueprint for this fixture. Obviously, because it's going to be a derby with a different background, different history, different expectations. But I think we want to be us, first of all.”
When asked to expand on his “blueprint” comment, Le Bris continued: “We were brave, we pressed high, we were really intense collectively and mostly we activated their ability to build up the play. It was tough for us as well because Leeds pressed high as well and we didn't have a good control in this game. But we learned from it and I think it was the first game for Melker [Ellborg], for example.
“Granit [Xhaka] didn't start, he is really important in the build-up so we might improve this part, I think. We have to be proactive, we want to show our qualities, we want to be intense with our way of playing. And after that, it will be a question of key moments. We'll have to manage the momentum because those games are always really intense. It might be a basketball game sometimes. Do we want to do that or not? It's up to us to decide sometimes.”
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What else did Regis Le Bris say ahead of Newcastle United clash?
Elsewhere, Le Bris also emphasised his belief that Sunderland need to play the game, rather than the occasion, adding: “There's always a risk to block the players if you push too much. It's about playing the game with, not the freedom, but you want to win, you want the big desire and the big togetherness. It's emotion and control. If it's too much emotion, you can use your mind.
“If something goes wrong, it's often the case in football. You can have the plan but the unpredictability is so high that you have to manage different events. If your brain is overloaded, it might be difficult. For me, we want to be underdog, we want to be intense but with control. We'll see how it goes.”
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