RLB PRE FULHAM

Regis Le Bris wants Sunderland to stay positive and get back to winning ways in the league, after Liverpool recently ended our unbeaten home record, but recognises that Fulham will be no pushovers.

FA CUP OPPONENT...

“We know we’ll play away from home, we’re used to doing that now, it’s the third round playing away. It will be another challenge but we’ll play it with ambition and we’ll see who will be the opponent later.”

FULHAM

“They are a well-established Premier League team now with the ability to play it through your pressure. They have good players who have that ability to be clinical, Harry Wilson for example is in good form but he’s not the only one. They are not perfect, just like every team, but they are strong and it will be a good test for us.”

WINNABLE RUN COMING UP

“The famous 40 point target! We have 12 games left so there are 36 points available. I want to see the positive side. The next game is an opportunity to win three points. We know that in this league there are never any easy games, we spoke about Burnley for example or Wolves, they are still competitive. Every weekend shows that clearly. So we are still in our process, we want to stay bold, aggressive, ambitious, but we know that it is a learning curve. Sometimes you go through difficult moments and we need to accept that because it is part of the process, but you learn through those difficult experiences and have to stay positive and competitive from a mentality point of view.”

NEW SIGNINGS BEDDING IN

“Their profiles are well-connected with our game identity. We like playing with wide wingers and it’s not easy to fill this position, especially with young players. This league is so demanding that it’s probably impossible right now to maintain a level. We started with young players, they have been good sometimes but have struggled to maintain the level. We needed more energy maybe, more depth, and these two players (Angulo and Ta Bi) are here for that reason. After that, with opportunities you never know how they will grow. Sometimes you have really good surprises because it is quick, sometimes you need to support them for a longer period, maybe a loan is sometimes useful, but we believe they will grow.”

UNBEATEN HOME RECORD GONE

“We were aware of the fragility of this sequence because the Premier League is so demanding, so we want to see the positive side. Keeping this sequence alive for 12 games is really impressive and if it is broken, that doesn’t mean we aren’t able to be strong at home again. I think it will be the case. We might struggle at times, that is normal, but we want to stay proactive, bold, and positive in our stadium.”

40 POINT TARGET AND BEYOND

“It is difficult to talk about a specific target. Obviously for the retention, around 40-42 we don’t know because the race will be intense until the end. It is really important for the future of the club and after that, it is a question of daily ambition and the standards we can maintain, or raise, everyday. That will give us the platform to grow and be better on the pitch, that is the main point. If we are better on the pitch then it will give us more opportunities to win games. If it is just words then it doesn’t mean anything, it is about behaviour.”