With 18 games to go, Sunderland are still right in the hunt for the Championship title, but Regis Le Bris thinks his team still have a lot to prove.
It has been an incredible first season for Regis Le Bris at Sunderland so far. The Black Cats are firmly part of a four-horse race for promotion, and sit just five points off top of the table Leeds United right now.
Sunderland are at a real disadvantage when it comes to financial power and squad depth, which makes their success all the more impressive. But, it also means they have a huge gap to close, too.
Still, Sunderland are not going anywhere, and appear determined to keep this race going right to the wire, and Le Bris intends to show that his team have what it takes to compete with the very best in the division.
Sunderland have to remain relentless in their pursuit of the top teams
Next up for Sunderland is a home clash with Plymouth Argyle, a game pundits believe is ‘100%’ certain to end in a Black Cats win. But that’s not enough for Le Bris, who wants his team to go above and beyond to prove what they are made of.
Speaking to the press (via the club’s official YouTube channel), the Sunderland manager looked to the example of Burnley, who just beat Plymouth 5-0 in midweek, as the kind of ruthless edge his side need to show.
“The pace [of the top teams] is very impressive at the minute, we need to prove that we can be in that bracket. It’s tough, we have to win, win, win again and again to gain momentum. It’s our next goal to achieve now, to prove we deserve to be here.
“Burnley did it very efficiently against Plymouth, and that means that team is ready for the final sprint, and we have to show that we are too.”
It will be interesting now to see how Sunderland deal with Plymouth at the weekend, and what kind of statement they can make in the upcoming fixture.
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Do Sunderland have what it takes to go all the way this season?
Sunderland just keep on grinding out results and it’s incredibly impressive that they have kept touch with the leading pack for so long. What’s more, they show no signs of slowing down.
Paul Warne described Sunderland as ‘scary’ after his Derby side lost to the Black Cats in midweek, citing their immense pace and athleticism as key attributes that could take them all the way this term.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LeedsLeeds | 28 | 17 | 8 | 3 | 53 | 19 | 34 | 59 |
| 2 |  Sheff UtdSheffield Utd | 28 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 40 | 18 | 22 | 58 |
| 3 |  BurnleyBurnley | 28 | 15 | 11 | 2 | 36 | 9 | 27 | 56 |
| 4 |  SunderlandSunderland | 28 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 40 | 22 | 18 | 54 |
| 5 |  MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 46 | 34 | 12 | 44 |
| 6 |  BlackburnBlackburn | 28 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 31 | 26 | 5 | 42 |
Sunderland do have a fairly favourable run-in, with plenty of home games coming up and opposition in the form of teams lower down the Championship table. If they get the results we all expect them to get there, especially at the Stadium of Light, they have such a great chance of sneaking into the top two.
The only problem is, the other three teams show no signs of slipping up either. Sunderland look almost certain to claim a play-off spot, at least, though, and from there, anything can happen.