Sunderland's head coach Rejis Le Bri shared his thoughts after the Black Cats clinched a narrow 1-0 win against Fulham at the Stadium of Light in their second Premier League match of the season.
The French tactician was full of praise for his players’ dedication and defensive solidity:
“It’s nice to be back home and win again. The Premier League is incredibly demanding, and today we faced a really strong team. The boys did a great job: they handled the threats from the opponents and created our own chances.”
Le Bri was particularly impressed by the goalscorer Wilson Isidore and defender Nordi Mukiele:
“About Isidore's miss and goal? In the first instance, it was all about composure; the movement was excellent. The second chance was brilliant. In this league, you can’t afford to miss twice in a row.
Nordi [Mukiele] is a very strong player. He can cover two positions on the pitch and is incredibly important for our squad.”
On the psychology behind the start of the season, he noted:
This applies to every team: if you start poorly, you tend to overthink things. Last season, we had exactly the same start—one win at home and one loss. This is a new season, a new chapter to write.
Life is unpredictable, football is unpredictable, but you can at least control your standards, and today our standards were high.”
Regarding the transfer window, he added:
The important thing is that we’ve kept the core of the team, which I’m very pleased about. If we can strengthen the squad further, we will. We’re working hard behind the scenes.”
