Regis Le Bris was delighted to see his Sunderland side round off a successful week with a dominant 2-0 win over Oxford.
The Black Cats made it three wins in the space of six days as they followed up away wins at Hull and Luton with an impressive showing at the Stadium of Light.
Goals from Jobe Bellingham and Wilson Isidor took Sunderland five points clear at the top of the Sky Bet Championship table, and while Le Bris will not be getting carried away just yet, he is justifiably delighted at the way in which his team is developing.
Le Bris said: “It has been a tough week, and it wasn’t easy to manage this game because it was the third one in six days.
“I think we had good control of the game, especially during the first half, and we could have scored one or two more goals to be more comfortable in the second half.
“But we also needed to stay consistent right to the end, and I think the way we played is good for the progress of the team. I am happy because the players did well in terms of the way they managed the game to win. I think we deserved to win the game.”
Le Bris was especially pleased with his players’ willingness to break into the Oxford box, as typified by Bellingham’s run before he headed home Trai Hume’s cross.
The Sunderland boss said: “The final third can be difficult to break. When you build a new game model and culture for a team, the final layer in the game is the hardest to build.
“It’s not perfect, but Jobe’s goal was very interesting because we want to get into the box like that, to receive that kind of cross. The timing was perfect, and this layer of progression in our game model is now in progress.”
Oxford have made a decent start to the season following their promotion from League One last term, but manager Des Buckingham admitted Sunderland had provided his players with their toughest test of the campaign so far.
Buckingham said: “The result is a loss, but I think we’ve come up against a very good Sunderland side. They’re clearly in good form. They’re at the top of the table, and I think they’ve shown the quality that this league does have.
“We’ve got off to a good start ourselves, and I’d say this is the first away game where we’ve come and we’ve had a team be on top of the game as much as they were. They stopped us from being able to do what we wanted to do.
“We never really settled in at any moment to be comfortable to be able to play. But Sunderland didn’t give us the time to do it anyway. It’s in those moments where you have to brave to still play, but it’s about being able to do that at the speed that is required. We’re quickly finding that, at this level, the physical demands of the league are higher to what we’ve faced (in League One).”
[(Gil Vicente FC) Strength]: 1. Gil Vicente FC finished 13th in the league last season. They aim to avoid relegation and fight for a Conference League spot in the new season. Facing FC Porto, the team are motivated to take points in this home game.2. Gil Vicente FC won the recent two games in a row across all competitions. They won 2-0 over CD Nacional in the last league game, smoothly starting wi...
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[(SC Preussen Munster) Strength]: 1. In the new season, SC Preussen Munster's 3 goals in two league games were scored by 3 players, showing multiple scorers on offense.2. SC Preussen Munster won 4 of the last 5 home games in AH, boasting a decent home trend.[(SC Preussen Munster) Neutral]: 1. SC Preussen Munster drew 1-1 with SC Paderborn 07 in the last 2. Bundesliga game, showing average performa...
[(Rot-Weiss Essen) Strength]: 1. Rot-Weiss Essen are playing in the 3. Liga this season. Despite their inferior strength to their rivals, the team will still go all out to secure a qualification spot in this home game.2. Tobias Kraulich scored a goal in the last game, showing his outstanding form.3. Rot-Weiss Essen scored 2 goals and conceded 2 in the last 2 competitive games, boasting decent offe...
[(IFK Varnamo) Strength]: 1. IFK Varnamo are at the bottom of the table this season. If they want to avoid relegation, they have to go all out for points in every game, indicating strong motivation in this match.2. Kai Meriluoto scored a goal and made an assist in the last game, helping the team tie with IF Elfsborg.3. IFK Varnamo won the last 2 games in AH, demonstrating recent performances in li...
[(Le Mans) Strength]: 1. Le Mans drew with En Avant Guingamp in the last league game, failing to start with a win. In this home match, they are motivated to secure their first win of the new season.2. William Harhouz scored an equalizer before the end of the last game, helping the team tie with En Avant Guingamp.3. Le Mans secured a 3-game winning streak in recent warm-up games at home, showing de...
[(Mirassol FC) Strength]: 1. Mirassol FC midfielder Gabriel Santana scored a goal in the last league game, performing actively.2. Mirassol FC scored 10 goals in the last 5 league games, averaging 2 goals per game, showing full offense.3. Mirassol FC conceded 5 goals in the last 5 league games, with an average of only 1 goal per game.4. Mirassol FC boast reliable home strength, remaining unbeaten w...
[(Leeds United) Strength]: 1. After relegation, Leeds United returned to the Premier League this season as the EFL Championship winners. The team significantly strengthened their squad during the summer transfer window, with the goal of staying in the Premier League this season. For their opening home game against Everton, they are determined to secure a winning start to the league, showing strong...
[(Elche) Strength]: 1. As the newly promoted team this season, Elche are motivated to start with a home win in their debut.2. In the summer window, Elche signed midfielder Federico Redondo, Real Madrid loan forward Alvaro Rodriguez, and Valencia CF striker German Valera.3. Elche finished 22 wins, 11 draws, and 9 losses in the Segunda Division last season, smoothly being promoted as the 2nd-placed ...
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