RLB PRE OXFORD

Prior to Regis Le Bris' scheduled press conference ahead of our trip to Oxford in the FA Cup Sunderland announced the departure of Sporting Director Kristjaan Speakman. RLB was asked for his thoughts on the dismissal as well as his expectations for Oxford. Despite sitting 23rd in the Championship, Regis believes that Oxford will be a tough obstacle to overcome with him expecting them to make it a physical battle.

SPEAKMAN

"To be fair, I share the words of the owner. I think he was a huge contributor to the club’s development from League One to the Premier League - he deserves huge respect. He was hugely important to me at the start, for my integration. He helped me a lot and that’s part of the professional life. Yes we had two windows. On a daily basis, when you start in a new country, language is key and it’s not a direct translation, you have culture and nuances and he helped me a lot in that part as a coach and with the connection with the players."

FA CUP

"One of the most iconic competitions. Like we did Everton, we want to go strong and for the context - the last game we had against them is a reminded that the game will be tough. Even if they are struggling - we know that the game will be tough. We’ll have to show a strong version of Sunderland to win the game."

OXFORD

"It was a tough game [last time out against Oxford], they were strong in their direct play. It’s a totally different kind of game and we have to be ready for that. Sometimes you just want to play football but it’s not enough alone to win a game. This game will be the same, if we are not ready against their strength it will be difficult. We had a strong week with two games against two top-six teams, really demanding. Physically especially so we will adjust the squad, but we will go strong. It will be a new story for them, they can give everything in the game without fear, which can be the case in the game. We think it will be difficult."

LFC

"After the review I don’t know if we were flat, we tried to play with our usual intentions. I think Liverpool were good against our high press, they went long and dominated first and second contact. They dominated that phase and then could build close to our box. With the ball our second half was better, but we struggled to create chances."

FA CUP RUN?

"I think we can combine the league and cup the schedule isn’t too busy. We have to reach our target in the league, it’s clear, this is our main intention but we’ll try and combine both."