There may be a few stand-out performers at Sunderland – Jobe Bellingham and Chris Rigg dominate most of the headlines – but Regis Le Bris has always been insistent that success rests upon the team as a whole.
And, speaking ahead of this weekend’s trip to fellow high-flyers Millwall, Le Bris is keen to point out that those who have played a minor role so far in the season could yet have their day in the sun.
Sunderland will be without the suspended Patrick Roberts, Denver Hume and Jobe Bellingham at The Den. Alan Browne and Romain Mundle join the walking wounded, meanwhile, though the returns of Aji Alese and Abdoullah Ba are undoubtedly a boost.
After three successive draws before the November international break – Sunderland threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Coventry last time out – the prospect of travelling to Millwall with a number of key players unavailable arguably makes the Black Cats something of an underdog.
Le Bris, however, is keen to point out that Sunderland’s flying start to the season has been aided by the overall strength of an impressive squad. The club’s ‘best players’, he argues, were not even in the starting XI at the beginning of the campaign.
See Wilson Isidor, the late August signing with five goals in nine starts, and on loan centre-back Chris Mepham, for instance.
Regis Le Bris backs Sunderland squad amid transfer talk
“The main task [during the international break] was around our team, the current team, because I believe the solution is here,” Le Bris said when asked if Sunderland have shifted their focus towards the January transfer window.
“[Our attention remains on] the way we can develop our players. The players who didn’t play so much from the beginning of the season are our best players at the moment.
“We know that probably will have some weak positions, so we are working on these weak positions [in the transfer market]. But this wasn’t my main task.”
With Roberts out, Le Bris may be tempted to hand Tommy Watson a rare start on the right. He also has the option of shifting Chris Rigg into a wider role – as he has done on some occasions recently – while bringing Ba into midfield, provided the Frenchman is fit enough to play a major role against Millwall.
Black Cats boss insists plan stays the same ahead of Millwall trip
Le Bris adds that Sunderland are not going to rip up their blueprint on the back of three winless, if undefeated, games, meanwhile.
Though a loss at Millwall – Neil Harris’ team have won four of their last five at The Den – may see questions asked of Le Bris for the first time since he took over on Wearside.
“We used this international break to make a review of our game model,” Le Bris explains. “We had a presentation this morning. We will have another one this afternoon.
“Now, we have to restart, to master the foundations. For the mindset of the team, [we will stick with] the same idea. The mentality of the team, the club, Sunderland.
“We want to win, we want to play fast, use fast attacks when possible, but probably with less possession. Thats not a problem for us, we want to score.
“Out of possession, we need to defend together. Be compact. Block [shots]. When its possible to push more and be aggressive, lets do it, but we want to protect our goal.
“So, the identity is still the same but with different players, different stages and different opponents as well. I am confident.”