Le Bris upbeat as Sunderland head to Coventry for reunion
Twenty seconds of stoppage time remained in extra time of the 2025 Championship playoff semi-final second leg at the Stadium of Light when Enzo Le Fée kissed the ball and swung a corner that Dan Ballard powered in off the crossbar to make it 1-1, sending Sunderland through and consigning Coventry to a 3-2 aggregate defeat. “There’s always a new story and a new chapter to write,” said Régis Le Bris as he prepares his side for a reunion with Coventry on Saturday.
Sunderland went on to Wembley after that semi-final and, having beaten Sheffield United in the playoff final, finished seventh in the Premier League last season, qualifying for the Europa League. Le Bris has said managers are storytellers and the players bought into his vision to produce that run. What followed felt almost fantastical at times, but the manager and club now face a more testing period this season. The side’s early Premier League form has raised questions about whether that momentum can be sustained.
Much hinges on whether Sunderland can pick up only their second league win of the season at Frank Lampard’s 19th-placed, finally promoted, Coventry on Saturday. Le Bris set out his intentions ahead of the trip, saying: “This game will be an exciting one with our intention to be us, show up with our identity, our pillars, our foundations and, after that, the game will be the game. Coventry have won twice in the Premier League so they are competitive. The Premier League is a new chapter for them but they are still efficient.”
European football has stretched resources and Sunderland have shown periods of inefficiency this season. Nordi Mukiele, the former Paris Saint-Germain defender, recently accused his teammates of turning "arrogant", prompting clear-the-air dressing-room talks. Le Bris said he felt more positive after last Sunday’s 0-0 home draw with Leeds, adding: “We saw Sunderland on the pitch today,” said the 50-year-old. Wednesday night’s 3-2 Carabao Cup win against Brentford has made the schedule even more congested.
Le Bris refused to complain about the packed programme, arguing the fixtures create opportunity and growth. “You won’t hear me complaining about this new journey, the busy schedule,” said Le Bris. “This is exactly where we want to be, with the opportunity to play regularly in Europe, to be competing in the Premier League and the domestic cups too. “It’s demanding, but it creates the conditions to get better, to evolve and to be more proactive.”
Squad construction and backroom changes have been a running theme at the club this year. Le Bris has pointed to the absence of a long-coveted right winger and a Premier League-ready striker to compete with Wilson Isidor as Brian Brobbey’s understudy, issues made more acute by recent injuries to Brobbey and Isidor. Florent Ghisolfi presided over radical recruitment after promotion, but there has been turnover off the pitch: the formerly influential sporting director, Kristjaan Speakman, departed amicably once overlap with Ghisolfi became apparent, and Stuart Harvey left by "mutual consent" and is now the technical director at Stoke.
Some individual signings have drawn scrutiny. Kevin Danso, a Tottenham loanee who will sign permanently next summer, was prioritised for height and power and has made worrying individual errors in the absence of the hamstrung Ballard despite being an excellent character off the pitch. The £30m former Lyon winger Malick Fofana, a 21-year-old Belgium international signed in the summer, has struggled to make an impact on the left but produced a much-improved Carabao Cup performance against Brentford. The richly talented Le Fée remains integral to Le Bris’s plans and is reportedly close to a senior France call-up.
Granit Xhaka has not been at his usual level this season, and the article notes: "Maybe at 34, age is catching up with the defensive midfielder, and perhaps Switzerland’s World Cup journey took his toll on the international captain?" Xhaka’s recent suspension from the Switzerland squad after his admission of purchasing a fake Covid vaccination certificate has been an unwelcome distraction. Le Bris is working with a new set-piece coach and is hoping Mukiele recovers from a minor throat injury to start at Coventry.
In August Frank Lampard described Sunderland as a post-promotion role model, saying: "Sunderland’s story is important and something we’ve analysed," and "To see how they played last season gives us inspiration." He added: "But now it is up to us to write that story for ourselves." Coventry will host Sunderland on Saturday.