Sunderland beat Newcastle United 2-1 on Sunday afternoon.
The Dutchman produced a typically physical display leading the line on Tyneside, constantly hassling compatriot Sven Botman at the heart of the Magpies’ defence and earning just rewards for his efforts with a last minute goal in front of the travelling away support.
Brobbey’s strike was his sixth of the season, and after a relatively slow start to life on Wearside that saw him largely settle for a watching brief during the opening weeks of the campaign, Le Bris has hailed his centre-forward for the manner in which he has grown into his role at the Stadium of Light of late.
What did Regis Le Bris say about Sunderland striker Brian Brobbey?
Speaking after the final whistle at St. James’ Park, Le Bris was asked to asses Brobbey’s recent development and his display against Newcastle, to which he responded: “I felt this week Brian at another level, really, during the training sessions.
“The way he is now connected with his own performance, but also with his teammates. It's getting crazy, really, because the league is so demanding. He started the season with us at probably not the best fitness level, so he needed a bit of time to be ready to be competitive physically. When it was done, you still have to connect with your teammates.
“Now, progressively, with confidence and experience, we want to play with him. This connection through the middle is so hard to defend, so Newcastle wanted to be aggressive. We just wanted to attract them, play with Brian, support him, and now we can kill the press. Even in the final third, he's getting better and he's a good, good striker.”
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Brobbey signed for Sunderland from Ajax last summer in a deadline day deal that only came about because the Black Cats had allowed loanee Marc Guiu to return to parent club Chelsea as the Blues dealt with an injury crisis in their own attacking ranks.
With that in mind, Le Bris was asked how Brobbey’s move to Wearside came about, and to what extent he was on Sunderland’s radar prior to Guiu’s departure, to which he replied: “Life, football, unpredictable. But you can create the condition to find a good set-up, and he was on our radar, a good fit. After that, sometimes it's achievable, sometimes it's not. It was the case, and finally the connection was perfect.”
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