Sunderland begin the new Premier League campaign at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon
Régis Le Bris is hopeful that Sunderland can pick up where they left off last season when they open their Premier League campaign against Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon.
The Black Cats have been widely tipped to struggle yet again this season, with many pundits and neutrals questioning their durability amid an expanded schedule. It has also been a slow summer in the transfer market, though Dayann Methalie's arrival on Friday a major boost with midfielder Jules Ahoka expected to follow.
Le Bris believes continuity and stability can be Sunderland's strength, however, citing the importance of keeping together a side who achieved history this season and believe they can do so this time around. The head coach had after the club reached 40 points last March challenged his team to kick on again, saying how they finished that campaign would define how they started this one.
The response he received was emphatic, Sunderland surging to seventh with a fine run of form in which they played arguably their best football of the season.
Careful not to make any bold claims given the fiercely competitive Premier League environment, Le Bris is nevertheless quietly confident his team is in a good place.
"I was really pleased with the last two, three months, last season because it might have been the end of the story [when we reached 40 points]," Le Bris said.
"And it wasn't the case at all for the players, for the club, for the coaching staff, for the staff in general. And we pushed until the end with this idea to see what this group can achieve.
"It was about the final result, that's true but it was also about the process we developed until the end. And this process, it's about the workflow, it's about the connection between people in the building, it's about the game model, it's about the position of our players on the pitch. It's really helpful when we start the season now. It doesn't mean that it will be enough, but we are in a better place if we compare with last season."
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Le Bris believes his team are in a good place and ready to embrace the challenge of a historic campaign, in which Sunderland will compete in European competition for the first time in over 50 years.
"It's new and I think it's exciting because it's something a bit unknown," Le Bris said.
"I think in football in general, when you are competitive, you like to experience difficult situations. It's going to be one of the biggest challenges for Sunderland in 52 years. It's something totally new to experience, but I think the fans, people around the club are expecting something really exciting, which is really positive. So we can see the negatives: It's about odds, predictions, fatigue, injuries. OK, it exists and we can't say anything else. On the other side, we are in a really good place. The momentum is strong. People around are really positive, excited by the club so we manage the balance."
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