Sunderland braced for different but 'exciting' Championship challenge

Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris insists he is “really excited” by the challenge of taking on Swansea City on Saturday afternoon. The Black Cats face the Swans in Wales in a 3pm kick-off, with Le Bris’ fourth-placed outfit coming up against a side that currently sit ninth in the Championship table.

Sunderland head into the encounter off the back of securing a 1-1 draw against Bristol City in midweek, where Patrick Roberts netted a last-gasp equaliser at the Stadium of Light. The Black Cats had 66 per cent possession against the Robins on Tuesday, but Le Bris acknowledged that his team now face a side who will be eager to control the game themselves.

“Swansea is a different team I think, because they like having the ball, they put high pressure on the ball carrier,” the head coach said.. “It’ll be a tough game again, but with a different style of play, and new problems to solve.

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“I’m really excited by that game, and the Norwich game, and so on. It’s still a new experience. We were dominant with the ball, and probably it will be a little bit different, so we’ll see how we will solve that problem.”

The Black Cats also registered 21 shots in midweek, as they were frustrated by their visitors up until the injury-time equaliser. Sunderland have found goals hard to come by in recent weeks, with Le Bris’ side netting six times in their last eight matches, leading to them picking up just one victory during that time, as well as six draws.

“I think football is like that. Sometimes you can be very accurate, very clinical, and [then] you don’t know why for a long period maybe – it could last six or eight weeks, we don’t know – it’s different,” the head coach said.

“I think stability and consistency is still the key, because if we don’t create chances, I can be worried, and I have many other concerns, but at the minute we are still dominant in many different environments.

“It was at Millwall, at Sheffield (United), at home twice, and we created many chances without scoring a lot of goals, but the foundations are still strong. It’s always unpredictable, and the most difficult part of the pitch is still the final third, so keep going.

“Probably we have to work a little more in this final third during the training sessions, to be more creative, to refine the game model, because if we can create chances, for me it’s the best point for a team.”

Following this weekend's clash, the Black Cats embark on a busy run of games over the Christmas period, and Le Bris added: “If you want to be a top player in the sport, you know that you will have to manage 50 games per season, 55, even 60 games. Because the team is young, it’s like a new experience probably for many of them, but it’s not a big problem.

“The way to manage this period properly is always the same. You need to recover properly, so your lifestyle has to be the right one according to your objectives, and on the pitch you have to be efficient.”