Sunderland manager, Regis Le Bris praised his players for snatching “a good point” in their 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.
Reinildo Mandava was sent off in the 33rd minute after he retaliated to a foul from Matty Cash which reduced Sunderland to ten men, and forced Le Bris to switch formation to a 5-3-1 with Dan Ballard substituted on for Chris Rigg.
Villa however took a 67th-minute lead through Cash’ 20-yard strike via Robin Roefs’ calamitous deflection, but Wilson Isidor equalised eight minutes later to salvage a point for seventh-placed Sunderland in the Premier League table.
Le Bris consequently was impressed with how his team kept their cool to earn a valuable point
“It’s a good point against a strong team, especially with 10 men for the majority of the game.
“We had two different parts in this game. I think we started well 11 against 11, we were in our game plan, and the red card changed the dynamic of the game, but we stayed composed.
“It became a different game with a low block, and it was clear that our main chances would come from set pieces.”
The 49-year-old boss however felt that Mandava’s red card was a decision that was respectfully justified, but felt that they were prepared for the ten-men deep block from deploying that type of style in the Championship last season.
“The red card was possible. It was, I think, a bad reaction, but in the end, we respect the decision.
“We were ready because we’ve worked hard on this deep block before, knowing in the Premier League we’ll have to manage this part of the game properly.
“It was good practice today with 10 men – five, three, one – staying organised, managing triangles and crosses.
“On set pieces, we know we have threats from throws or corner kicks, and we were able to score a goal.
“It’s a really good experience, especially here in Sunderland because we have the players, we have the squad, but we also have our fans, our stadium, and the energy.”
Despite being down to ten men, Le Bris felt that the home crowd replaced Mandava in spirit to make it 11v11 despite having a man less on the pitch.
“We were 10 men, but in fact we were 11 with this crowd.
“We’re happy to be here, but at the same time we have to be competitive, and I think we showed good character.”
Le Bris also addressed his deep defensive tactics as he explained that the style can ensure survival if mastered well and each time they deploy those tactics, it build foundations through experience that the players can learn from moving forward for when next need to play that style.
“Defending deep for a long period is really important because if you can master this phase, you can travel safely.
“It’s always a reset, but at the same time, we can create foundations through these experiences, and this one was really important.”
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