RLB POST GUNNERS

Regis Le Bris reacted to Sunderland's resilient draw against table-topping Arsenal. He praised Brian Brobbey for his work in recent weeks and also revealed how the club moved the advertising boards to limit Arsenal's long throw, just like they did against Coventry in the play-offs!

HARD FOUGHT POINT

“It shows that the team has a really strong character. The fact that we can change the dynamic of the game with just one decision, a good connection with our crowd, is huge for us, and it happened once again. It's still tough against a team like Arsenal, one of the best teams in Europe, so you have to do a masterclass, otherwise it's impossible to win something.

TIL THE END

“I think we were just on the edge after the 2-1, and Arsenal were dominant and they were able to keep the ball. But with the energy of the stadium, I think the characteristics of our players and the background we have now, it's really positive for this faith and this belief that we can change the dynamic.”

HARD TO ESCAPE

“A squad like [Arsenal’s] has the ability to stay composed on the ball, to get high on the pitch, and then they counter-press really aggressively with good organisation. It’s so hard to escape this pressure. After that, you try to go long. If you don't win the first contact, you go again and you can't breathe. It was really tough. But something changed. Sometimes, you don't know what exactly. But with energy, with just one decision, we did it. I’m happy for our players.”

ADVERTISING BOARDS MOVED CLOSER

"Yeah, we tried to find the details to win the game, and they are really strong on set pieces. We were good as well. It was something obvious that this threat was really important for this game, and in the end, it was balanced."

MR BROBBEY

"We felt that he improved a lot, he needed time to change from another club to a new club, a new league, new teammates, so he worked hard and I think he deserves this reward.”

SUPER SUBS

"Our four subs were really important because we are in this league and probably our game model is really demanding for our forwards, they don't just have to stay wide waiting for the next pass, you have to work hard with the squad, otherwise we can't defend against a strong team like Arsenal."

STARTERS AND FINISHERS

"So they worked well for 60 minutes, then four players came on the pitch and those finishers helped to maintain the energy, the quality of the organisation and they have different profiles. So when you start against Wilson, for example, you know that it will be a threat in behind, even if he now has the ability to hold the ball, with Brian you have another profile, totally different, and he is a good scorer as well.”

FAN IMPACT

"I think the energy of our stands, our fans, is really important. We can feel it. I spoke about this topic before. When you are on the pitch, just one tackle, one decision, one counter-press, you go in behind and you try to change the dynamic.When you feel the crowd, it's so noisy, I think it helps a lot. I hope it will be the case later again.”