Sunderland came away with a 1-1 draw against Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest.
Regis Le Bris’ pre-season has been quite up-and-down so far in terms of results.
Their first run out away at South Shields saw Sunderland win convincingly after being 5-0 up at half-time, however that was followed up by a 2-1 defeat to Gateshead where Jack Clarke scored the only goal from the penalty spot.
In terms of signings, very few bodies have come through the door so far, with Simon Moore and Alan Browne being the only arrivals so far on Wearside.
Le Bris will be adamant that Kristjaan Speakman gets bodies through the door quickly, such as the likes of striker Alexandre Mendy, who the club are currently interlocked in talks over signing ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
Le Bris has looked to implement his own tactics with differing success so far, however Dan Neil heaped praise on the style of play following Sunderland’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Dan Neil praises Regis Le Bris Sunderland tactics
After the loss to Gateshead, goalscorer Clarke admitted that the tactics had ‘been difficult so far and it didn’t quite come off’ as they were undone 2-1 against National League opposition.
However, the Sunderland ranks seem to now be warming up to Le Bris’ style of play, with Neil praising the Frenchman’s set-up.
Speaking in a post-match interview to Sunderland on X, he said: “The friendlies last week were good and we’ve stepped up this week. There are still little things we can tweak in terms of the tactical side but, all in all, it was a good run out.
“We’ve been working really hard on it (tactics). The gaffer has got a way of playing that he wants us to play, no matter who it’s against, and we’re trying to implement it every single day, whether that’s in possession or out of possession and that was a good way to test it against a really good opposition.
“It’s going to stand us in good stead going into the rest of pre-season and the start of the season.”
Speakman bringing in players to meet Regis Le Bris’ style of play will be crucial for Sunderland
In Le Bris’ first season as first team coach at Lorient, he was able to implement his style of play with massive success, leading the French outfit to an impressive 10th place finish.
He struggled in his second season, however the players weren’t at his disposal to be able to implement his tactics correctly, and as a result it massively hindered results.
Simply put, Sunderland will need a few more players before the summer window closes in order to give Le Bris the chance to play his own style with players that he knows fit the mould.
The Frenchman’s tactics of high-pressing from the off and 100% intensity is perfect for the Championship and was something that was so clearly not evident last season, one of the catalogue of issues that the players encountered in the 2023/24 season.
Providing that Speakman backs Le Bris, then they could be on for a positive season, especially with the tactics beginning to stick already this early in pre-season.