Sky Sports pundit David Prutton believes the rest of the division could adapt to Sunderland new approach in a bid to halt their promotion push following their lightning start but believes a challenge is possible under Regis Le Bris.
The Black Cats hierarchy came in for fierce criticism at times as they took their time to appoint a new head coach after a dismal previous campaign.
Ultimately, they opted for Le Bris, but he didn’t arrive to huge fanfare, as he had just been in charge of a Lorient side that were relegated from Ligue 1 in France.
Nevertheless, he has quickly made his mark at Sunderland, with the side sitting top at this early stage, having won four from four, and they have played some excellent football in that time.
David Prutton on Sunderland’s fast start
Of course, it’s far too soon to get carried away, and the boss will know that big challenges lie ahead.
The departure of the talented Jack Clarke could be a real problem, and teams may now start to show Sunderland more respect given their displays.
And, speaking on Sky Sports’ Essential EFL podcast, Prutton explained how Le Bris may need to adapt to overcome any different setups they could come up against.
He said: “With the players that are involved in this side, Alan Browne with his experience, Patrick Roberts is a fantastic footballer and Dan Neil is part of the furniture, allied to the players mentioned, the balance is there.
“There’s a newness and a novelty Le Bris has brought into English football. Whether we see teams have a think about what Sunderland have done in the early stages and work out ways to stop it.
| Championship Table As It Stands (11/09/24) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Sunderland | 4 | 9 | 12 |
| 2 | West Brom | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 3 | Watford | 4 | 4 | 9 |
| 4 | Leeds United | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| 5 | Blackburn Rovers | 4 | 3 | 8 |
| 6 | Burnley | 4 | 7 | 7 |
“I’m only using it as an example, as a way that was seen as taking the division by surprise, but the Marcelo Bielsa side where everyone went ‘what on earth are they doing?’ But then you’ve got to react to these teams. I’m not saying it’s a direct comparison, but you look at a new manager and what he brings to a football club, and they’ve got aspirations of getting back to the Premier League.
“Whether there will be people looking at Le Bris and the way he’s gone about it, and finding out ways to combat that, we will soon see.”
Yet, he would also add that Sunderland have the ability to maintain this positive start, as he claimed there is no standout team like Leicester City, who won the title with 97 points last time out.
He said: “The early season running is very good, what’s to say that they can’t? There’s no huge stumbling blocks like a Leicester City there that will stop that route to the top of the division.
“It’s about taking on this rhythm and reacting to international breaks because sometimes they can come at the wrong time. The initial signs are very, very good.”
Regis Le Bris won’t look too far ahead with Sunderland
It’s understandable that the fans are excited at this early stage, and there’s no denying that the performances have been positive.
But, Le Bris will be aware that bumps in the road are inevitable, and he has to manage what is a young squad carefully through those periods.
