REGIS LE BRIS has admitted that “complacency” was a factor when Sunderland lost at Plymouth last month, but is confident it will not be an issue when Oxford United visit the Stadium of Light this afternoon.
The Black Cats opened up a three-point gap at the top of the table when they won at Luton Town in midweek, with the position fuelling a growing sense of excitement and expectation.
On paper, a home game against an Oxford side that won promotion via the League One play-offs last season should be a gimme. The Championship rarely works like that, though, and Le Bris has spent the last couple of days drilling a sense of focus into his players.
“We spoke a lot about complacency after we won the first four games in a row,” he said. “Then we lost at Plymouth and complacency was the right word. It was very subtle, it was not massive, just in some of the choices we made.
“We dominated the first half at Plymouth but after the first goal we didn't try to score again, it was complacent but tactically. It was not young players being selfish or a conscious decision, it was just subtle.
“The debrief after that game was very interesting. We are in a learning environment and this was a bad experience we can learn from. We will see whether we have learned because the reality is on the pitch.
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“We have shown consistency this season because we can't win eight from 11 without this. Can we keep it going for a long time? That is what we will see.”
Sunderland have spent the last month sitting at the top of the table, and while their strong start might initially have been written off as something of a flash in the pan, their promotion credentials continue to strengthen with every week that passes. Not, however, that Le Bris is taking anything for granted just yet.
“We have shown that we are linked, that we want to win together,” he said. “It's a goodexperience but it's only 11 games and there are still 35 to come. Promotion is, I think, around 90 points, maybe a little more or less. We have 25. So, you can assess the gap - it is huge.”
Sunderland (probable, 4-3-3): Patterson; Hume, Mepham, O’Nien, Cirkin; Rigg, Neil, Bellingham; Roberts, Isidor, Mundle.
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