If there’s one thing we’ve learned from Sunderland’s burgeoning 2026/2027 campaign (other than the fact that the ‘Stadium of Light factor’ is doubtless going to be key for the Lads both domestically and in Europe this season), it’s that the players and coaches have acknowledged and are acting on the fact that in order to not only compete but to compete strongly, we need to expedite our development.
2025/2026? A brilliant season and a landmark campaign, but that’s gone. Opposition analysts will have
analysed every frame of footage featuring anyone in a red and white shirt and as a result, there’s very little that’s unknown about Sunderland now.
Thankfully, we do seem to be responding.
A second half system change and a shift to a more attacking approach bore fruit against Fulham and led to our first and only league win of the season so far, whereas an uncharacteristically expansive (if admirable) approach gave Manchester City something of a fright before defensive errors proved our undoing at the Etihad Stadium despite Brian Brobbey’s stunning hat trick.
These were two starkly contrasting games in which Régis Le Bris demonstrated some impressive tactical flexibility and the Lads showed far more to their game than merely solidity, organisation and resilience. Therefore, as we prepare to resume with what appears to be a very tricky game against Brighton this coming Saturday, I wonder which approach will be favoured and whether it’ll be something slightly different once again.
Sunderland’s upcoming swing of fixtures — comprising clashes with Brighton, Torreense, Bournemouth, Lech
Poznan, Leeds, Brentford in the League Cup and Coventry City — will be challenging and I daresay maybe a touch brutal in terms of tight turnarounds, miles travelled and demands on the squad.
In my view, victories against Coventry and Bournemouth are essential, and backing those up with draws against Brighton and Leeds would represent a good return.
Yes, the season is still young and it does have the feel of a campaign that’ll be littered with shock results and frankly strange outcomes, but this group of players should not be dropping off the pace to the extent where we suddenly find ourselves looking backwards rather than forwards. One brilliant season in the sun followed by a familiar pattern? No, thank you.
To say the least, Sunderland and Le Bris have a decision to make in terms of how to play it during the upcoming games.
Stick, which would effectively mean tilting the balance slightly further towards the kind of approach that worked so well last season in order to eke out some good results, or twist, which in practice would potentially lead to some short-term frustration in the hope that once we hopefully master the kind of approach that put Manchester City on notice, we can be a match for most teams in the league, given the attacking resources at our disposal?
Fundamentally, Le Bris is a “results over aesthetics” head coach, and that’s not a bad thing at all. And make no mistake: we do need to pick up some results during the next cluster of league fixtures in order to avoid any doubts or fears about our season’s prospects creeping in.
There’s no reason that even taking into account the possibility of rotation, we can’t keep the European show on the road with wins against Torreense and Poznan, but losing sight of the need to recover from a fairly sluggish Premier League start and to begin to climb the table is not an option here.
Against City, we simply leaned too heavily into the notion of taking the game to the hosts and we allowed ourselves to get pulled out of shape at the back as a result. Robin Roefs did not have one of his finest games in a Sunderland shirt, and eradicating the sloppy mistakes that’ve cropped up too often this season is a task that can’t afford to be neglected.
I like the idea of Sunderland getting experimental in trying to unlock the full potential of the group of players we have on hand, but it would be naive to think that it’ll be a perfect process or one without the occasional glitch. After all, any footballing vision is only as good as its execution and getting it wrong once doesn’t mean it’s terminally flawed.
It doesn’t feel like the mindset has shifted at all and nor do the players look like they’re not fully up for the challenge, but like most head coaches/managers in this league, Le Bris is spinning multiple plates as he attempts to consolidate our position as a competitive top flight side and he shouldn’t hesitate in the slightest if a solution he feels will work presents itself.
