Le Bris under scrutiny as Sunderland sink to bottom after nine Premier League games
Regis Le Bris's Sunderland suffered a 3-1 defeat at Coventry City in the Premier League, leaving the club bottom of the table after nine games with one win and six defeats from nine. The loss has intensified questions over the manager after a difficult start to the season in which European fixtures and domestic form have collided.
Sunderland's Europa League campaign, which includes a trip to AC Milan in December, has been presented as both a historic milestone and a potential burden, with a home game against Dinamo Zagreb scheduled for Thursday (20:00 GMT) and a Premier League visit from Chelsea on Sunday. Le Bris, who masterminded Sunderland's return to European competition for the first time in 53 years, led the club to a seventh-place finish last season and has been in charge since July 2024. BBC Sport understands Le Bris's job is not in immediate danger and he will be given more time; he is Sunderland's longest-serving manager since Steve Bruce, who was in charge between June 2009 and November 2011, and Sunderland have reached the Carabao Cup quarter-finals where they will face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Captain Granit Xhaka voiced concerns after the Coventry defeat, saying: "I don't know exactly what the problem is. Is it concentration? Is it other things? We are bottom of the league but in football you need to think positive and to show courage as well. This is not the case at the moment." Weeks earlier France defender Nordi Mukiele had claimed the side had become "arrogant". Former Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson described Xhaka's comments as "concerning" and added: "He seemed really deflated and that is very unlike Granit," the former full-back, who made 41 Premier League appearances for the Gunners between 2011 and 2019.
Former Sunderland loanee Nedum Onuoha reflected on expectations, telling BBC Sport: "They ended last season quite well to get into Europe and that felt really historic. But there was talk then that maybe he [Le Bris] wasn't quite the guy. Sunderland fans who probably had their doubts last season, I really doubt that they will be thinking he is the manager long term." French football expert Julien Laurens warned: "This is not looking good. I look at Sunderland and I'm not seeing him find the solutions to turn things around. For me that is really worrying."
Statistically Sunderland's campaign has been underwhelming: they have scored seven league goals in nine games, two of which were penalties, and failed to score in the first half in seven of those matches. Three of their seven goals arrived in a single game, the 3-5 defeat at Manchester City, and the club have finished with 10 men in defeats against Arsenal (Reinildo Mandava sent off), Bournemouth (Kevin Danso sent off) and Coventry (Omar Alderete sent off). Sunderland's only Premier League win this season came on 30 August, a 1-0 victory at home to Fulham, and they are without a league win in seven matches.
Squad investment has differed markedly from last summer: after promotion in 2025 Sunderland spent £161m on 15 new players, while this season the outlay was £60m on five signings. Key figures retained include captain Xhaka and forward Brian Brobbey; Brobbey, who scored seven league goals last season and three for the Netherlands at the World Cup, has signed a new contract until 2031 but has yet to score since returning from a hamstring injury. Laurens noted the dip in form of senior players, saying: "They are the leaders and they are way below the levels they had. The first one to pay the price [for the team's poor form] is usually the manager."
Sunderland's first European campaign since 1973 has started positively by continental standards, with two wins and a draw from their opening three Europa League group matches, but their Premier League record after European fixtures is poor: they have lost two and drawn one of their three league games following European matches. On the impact of Europe Laurens said: "Europe is great. Sunderland fans will be travelling to Milan, it's wonderful. It could be a distraction for the players - especially the ones who have never played in Europe before. It's less time to practise on the training pitch. You play Thursday-Sunday and that's a very different dynamic to what Sunderland had last season."
Sunderland face Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday (20:00 GMT) before hosting Chelsea on Sunday, results that could determine the tone of their upcoming international break; "They could certainly do with beating Chelsea on Sunday after playing Dinamo Zagreb to lift the mood. Otherwise it is going to be an unhappy international break for Sunderland and their passionate fanbase."
