Régis Le Bris reveals the half-time message that led to superb late Sunderland win at Middlesbrough
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Régis Le Bris praised the character of his Sunderland players for coming from behind to beat Middlesbrough on Monday night.
The Black Cats won a dramatic contest at The Riverside after a late own goal from Ryan Giles. The Sunderland head coach admitted his side had been second best in the first half and were fortunate not to fall further behind after Delano Burgzorg’s opener, but responded superbly after the break.
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Hide AdThough Hayden Hackney levelled the scores after goals from Dan Neil and Wilson Isidor, it wad the Black Cats who took all three points.
"I think that Middlesbrough started very well, they played really good football,” Le Bris said.
“We expected this but when you are on the pitch, you have to manage the situation. They played very well in the first half and we conceded many situations, I think we were lucky not to concede a second goal. We stayed in the game but we were a little bit impatient, we knew they were good in possession with the ability to pin the central corridor and play out wide, in behind, through. Maybe we lost our patience in this period and were sloppy on the ball. Progressively, we got back into the game but not enough for this contest, this team.
"During half time we spoke about the character we needed, that we needed more passion and more confidence. The second half was very good, I think. It was an intense game against a strong game, away from home. We had to play with passion to find that extra percent. We knew that this would make the difference."
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Hide AdEnzo Le Fée arguably proved to be the difference between the two teams, assisting Isidor for Sunderland’s second goal before forcing the own goal from Giles with an excellent piece of individual play.
Le Bris believes his former Lorient player is benefiting from more time on the training pitch and still has more to offer between now and the end of the campaign.
"Enzo was very important, you need good players on the game,” Le Bris said.
“He's well connected with his team mates, so now we can find a greater relationship with Dennis, Jobe, Wilson... I think the extra week of training has been very beneficial for him. You can see that he is more connected.
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Hide Ad"I expect more from him still, because he is so talented. He could play at the best level, Premier League or something else. There is more to come, I'm sure. He is a good team mate, very connected with the collective way of playing. He can help younger players around him to find the right tempo, the right rhythm."
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