LEEDS, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 16: Detail view of the Leeds United club badge on the corner flag prior to the Premier League match between Leeds United and Newcastle United at Elland Road on December 16, 2020 in Leeds, England.The match will be played without fans, behind closed doors as a Covid-19 precaution. (Photo by Rui Vieira - Pool/Getty Images)
His Black Cats side sit top of the Championship table and three points ahead of fifth-placed Leeds. Sunderland have scored the most goals in the division and boast the joint-best goal difference. They have a perfect record of four wins from four at the Stadium of Light, where they are yet to concede a goal.
But according to Le Bris, Leeds’ strengths mean that Sunderland will have to balance a desire to play their own brand of football with the need to avoid naivety against one of the best sides in the Championship.
“We know this is a strong team that is sized for promotion,” said Le Bris. “They have many strengths. In possession, out of possession, counter attacks. It will be a good challenge for us because we need to respect every team, whether they are at the bottom or at the top because every game is difficult to win. That game will be difficult to win and we will need to manage it with intelligence as well because we don’t want to be naïve but we want to play with our identity so this is a new experience. It’s very useful for our growth and development. It’s a new challenge with new problems to solve for sure.”
Leeds’ ability to hit teams quickly on the break is something Le Bris is particularly wary of. “For sure they’re a strong team, “he said. “With the ability to manage different phases very well, especially counter attack, when they recover the ball they are so quick to create chances. When we have the ball, this phase, just after the loss, could be one of the main points or the key point of that game. Still the same idea, the game can go in a way or another way with just one decision, sometimes ours, theirs’, the referee’s, many things could happen.”
