After Sunderland’s disappointing 3-0 loss to Brentford, coach Régis Le Bris stood up for Enzo Le Fée after his penalty miss and stressed the importance of learning from the defeat as a collective unit.
Le Fée’s attempt at a panenka with Sunderland trailing 1-0 was met with a save by Caoimhin Kelleher, leading to Brentford scoring two quick goals and securing one of Sunderland’s most significant defeats this season alongside their loss to Manchester City.
Le Bris acknowledged that the missed penalty was a pivotal moment in the match but emphasized the need for the team to stand together in the face of a lackluster performance across the board.
“When we win, we react as a team,” stated Le Bris. “When we lose, we want to react as a team as well. It’s not about just individuals, it’s about the whole squad. When you don’t take any risks, you don’t make any mistakes. It’s always the case. Let’s learn from this lesson and move forward.”
The Sunderland coach openly admitted that his team was “mismatched” in all areas of the pitch as Brentford emerged as deserving winners on the night.
“I think first of all Brentford were good,” Le Bris analyzed. “They were at their level. It’s a tough place here. They were strong, direct, good in second balls and relentless. Even if we didn’t start well, we had the opportunity at the beginning of the second half to get back in the game. I think we showed better energy, but when you miss this kind of opportunity, it’s like a switch in the game. The energy of the crowd got even better, and we lost ours.
“I think today we probably had too many mismatches on the pitch. It’s about duels, it’s about composure with the ball. The duels we had were in favor of Brentford. It’s football. Just accept the defeat, learn from this experience, and move forward.”
In light of the defeat, Le Bris underlined the need for his team to come together, address their shortcomings, and approach future challenges with renewed determination and improved performance.
