Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has been told what has prevented the Black Cats from gunning for automatic promotion.
This season, Sunderland have defied several expectations as they look almost certain to finish in the playoffs in the 2024/25 Championship campaign.
Compared to the dreary 2023/24 season, where Sunderland finished in a lowly 16th place, Regis Le Bris has galvanised the troops and got a tune out of his side, who now sit 4th in the table.
However, a recent dip in form, which has seen Sunderland defeated by Coventry City before the international break, has cast doubt on some fans on the Black Cats’ likelihood of scraping through the dreaded playoffs and achieving promotion.
Sunderland have now been told, by one EFL expert, exactly what must be improved if they are to enjoy a positive end to the campaign.
EFL expert Gab Sutton tells Regis Le Bris he must improve ‘game management’
This season, Sunderland have ground out some fantastic wins, but several games have seen points dropped in poor circumstances, notably the 2-2 draw at home to Coventry City, as well as the trip to The Den, which saw Millwall equalise late on just moments after Milan Aleksic squandered an opportunity to further the Black Cats’ lead.
Seeing out games has been a struggle for Le Bris and Sunderland, and this has been highlighted as an area of concern by EFL expert Gab Sutton.
Speaking on the What The Falk Podcast, via YouTube, Sutton said: “I think it’s still been a lot of progress from Sunderland this season.
“I would like to see one area for Regis Le Bris to kind of work on going into the remainder of this season and the next one which is possibly game management because I’ve seen a couple of games where you’ve maybe been in a good position and dropped off a little bit and just invited a bit too much pressure, like the Coventry game in November that I was there for where he went to a back five which probably wasn’t necessary.
“I think that’s probably the one thing for Regis Le Bris that landed him at a nine out of 10 for his work this season rather than a 10 out of 10 because, in every other area, it seems like he’s done a phenomenal job.”
Sunderland fitness concerns play a significant part in latter stage worries
Particularly in recent games, Sunderland haven’t quite looked 100% when nearing the conclusion of a match, and whilst some of that will come down to the poor decision-making of Le Bris, whether that be through his set-up or substitutions, but fitness has also played a major part.
Thankfully, the international break has swung around at the perfect time for Sunderland, who were looking far from their best last time out against Coventry.
With eight games left to spare, Sunderland need to get some consistency under their belts, and get a rhythm going before the playoffs, otherwise it will be an uphill task against sides in form and already in their groove.