{"id":1405766,"date":"2025-10-23T15:57:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T14:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1405766"},"modified":"2025-10-23T16:27:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T15:27:44","slug":"tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/outright-markets\/sunderland-outright-odds-25-26\/\">Sunderland<\/a> saved the bulk of their nine lives for the playoffs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Black Cats secured their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/premier-league\/\">Premier League<\/a> return in fine fashion. Dan Ballard scored a 122nd winner in the semi-final aggregate triumph over Coventry in May. Not to be outdone, Tom Watson netted in the 95th minute to send Sunderland up in their playoff final victory over Sheffield United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-new-signings-settling-quickly\" data-level=\"3\">New signings settling quickly<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-adaptability-under-le-bris\" data-level=\"3\">Adaptability under Le Bris<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-black-cats-boss-willing-to-tinker\" data-level=\"3\">Black Cats boss willing to tinker<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Few had expected Sunderland to even be challenging for a promotion spot last season. Regis Le Bris took over at the Stadium of Light after a two-year stint at the Lorient helm came to an end. In his debut campaign in English football, Le Bris performed a miracle to take Sunderland up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s all the more impressive is that Sunderland look the best equipped to beat the drop. It goes without saying that Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton were dire following their promotion. Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland will have done their homework and prepared for the campaign accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet as Leeds and Burnley sit three and two points above the relegation zone, respectively, Sunderland are level with Chelsea and Tottenham on 14 points. They\u2019ve won four of their opening eight matches, double Southampton\u2019s total last season, with the Stadium of Light in particular a fortress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-new-signings-settling-quickly\">New signings settling quickly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No team has collected more home points than Sunderland (10) in the Premier League this season. Promoted sides need to maximise home advantage, and Le Bris\u2019 side are doing just that. What&#8217;s notable is that this start comes on the back of a raft of new faces at the club. Sunderland signed no fewer than 14 players in the off-season, not including Marc Guiu\u2019s short stint at the club.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, they sold Jobe Bellingham to Borussia Dortmund. Such player upheaval could have proven detrimental. Yet the Black Cats invested heavily in defence, and this has been key. Newly promoted sides often overlook the backline. Sunderland made it their priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robin Roefs has shone between the sticks. Omer Alderete, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo, Arthur Masuaku and Lutsharel Geertruida are experienced defensive reinforcements. Granit Xhaka, meanwhile, has anchored the midfield superbly. Instilling the Swiss star as captain has proven a masterstroke by Le Bris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-adaptability-under-le-bris\">Adaptability under Le Bris<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s been crucial, though, has been Le Bris\u2019 willingness to compromise on his tactical principles. The adaptability in his second season points to a manager prepared to learn from the previous mistakes of others. Sunderland didn\u2019t routinely dominate in the Championship last season, evidenced by a 48.6% possession average. That\u2019s since dropped to 43.7% in the Premier League, the fourth lowest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Le Bris is well aware of Sunderland\u2019s limitations. The Frenchman knows his side won\u2019t dictate play, so instead has deployed a more pragmatic approach. With the Black Cats sitting deeper, they\u2019re now making more clearances per 90 (33.8) this season than they were last (26.6). New signings Muikele, Alderete, Xhaka and Reinildo rank among the best performing players for this metric at the club.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"article-page__title\">Dabble sign-up offer: <b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">Bet \u00a310+ &amp; Receive \u00a310 In Free Bets<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<p><strong>Not signed up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/dabble-sign-up-offer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dabble<\/a> yet? Here's how to claim the <b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">Bet \u00a310+ &amp; Receive \u00a310 In Free Bets<\/b> welcome offer:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Sign up to Dabble through this <a href=\"\/en\/go\/dabble?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\">link<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li>Register your account with accurate personal details<\/li>\r\n<li>Place your first bet of \u00a310 or more<\/li>\r\n<li>Receive your \u00a310 in free bets when your qualifying bet has setted<\/li>\r\n<li>Use your Free Bet on any eligible sportsbook market within 7 days<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/dabble?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1423518 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-300x250.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-320x267.png 320w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-240x200.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-72x60.png 72w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-150x125.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-40x33.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822.png 712w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>#AD 18+ 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply.\u00a0<a class=\"c-link\" href=\"http:\/\/gambleaware.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"http:\/\/GambleAware.org\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">GambleAware.org<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A knack for being in the right place at the right time enables Sunderland to readily alleviate pressure on their goal. This defensive awareness has seen Sunderland concede only six league goals this season. Only Arsenal (3) have shipped fewer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Sunderland sit deeper, opponents adopt a more direct approach. Again, though, Le Bris has prepared for this. Only Everton (40.3) are contesting more aerial duels per 90 than Sunderland (38.3) in the 2025-26 Premier League campaign. That figure has risen from 29.9 in the Championship last season, a return that was the fourth lowest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-black-cats-boss-willing-to-tinker\">Black Cats boss willing to tinker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Furthermore, Le Bris is willing to tinker with his system depending on the situation. The 49-year-old favours a 4-3-3 setup but is prepared to change in-game. Xhaka anchors the side, while new signings Chemsdine Talbi, Simon Adingra and Enzo Le Fee \u2013 his move made permanent \u2013 hold the width. It means when they win possession, they get the ball upfield to the flanks quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1405771\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-267x267.jpg 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025-40x40.jpg 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23154331\/SunderlandAveragePositions231025.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Only Brentford (37%) are playing a higher proportion of their passes forward than Sunderland (36.4%). In addition, just 21% of their attacks go through the middle, the lowest in the Premier League. When they win the ball, it goes forward quickly. and primarily to the flanks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many may point to a relatively easy start as a way with which Sunderland have accumulated 14 points so far. Indeed, in their opening eight games, they\u2019ve only played two that finished higher than 10th. Aston Villa were in the midst of a dire start when they faced Sunderland. Saying that, having been reduced to 10 men in the first half, the Black Cats did well to claim a result<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, they beat Nottingham Forest at the City Ground with Ange Postecoglou in charge. In hindsight, it was hardly the toughest test. Before the November international break, Sunderland play Chelsea and Arsenal. They start December with meetings against Liverpool, Manchester City and Newcastle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Importantly, Sunderland are earning the points they need to in order to stay up. They\u2019re unlikely to beat the Premier League\u2019s big hitters. Claiming wins against the likes of West Ham, Brentford and Wolves is what\u2019ll see them stave off relegation. It\u2019s early days but the Black Cats have their claws sharpened and ready for a scrap.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sunderland saved the bulk of their nine lives for the playoffs. The Black Cats secured their Premier League return in fine fashion. Dan Ballard scored a 122nd winner in the semi-final aggregate triumph over Coventry in May. Not to be outdone, Tom Watson netted in the 95th minute to send Sunderland up in their playoff&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1405767,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1405766","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-23T15:27:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1706\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ben McAleer\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4\"},\"headline\":\"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-23T14:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-23T15:27:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\"},\"wordCount\":912,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\",\"name\":\"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-23T14:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-23T15:27:44+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1706,\"caption\":\"3CFJXJ9 Burnley, UK. 23rd Aug, 2025. Regis Le Bris manager of Sunderland applauds the fans at the end of the Burnley vs Sunderland Premier League match at Turf Moor, Burnley. Picture credit should read: Craig Thomas\/Sportimage Credit: Sportimage Ltd\/Alamy Live News\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Squawka\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Features\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | EN\",\"description\":\"Football News, Stats, and More...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4\",\"name\":\"Ben McAleer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ecc09a71c5a7a0a154f65a823b2d57f865ae282917ddd2eadc3272ff5a55348f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ecc09a71c5a7a0a154f65a823b2d57f865ae282917ddd2eadc3272ff5a55348f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ben McAleer\"},\"description\":\"Ben has over 15 years\u2019 worth of experience in the world of football writing and has previously featured on The Guardian, The Independent, Sky Sports, The Irish Examiner, talksport, and more. Ben is, for his sins, a Tottenham fan with a soft spot for Barnet.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/benmcaleer1\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/benmcaleer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors | Squawka | EN","description":"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors","og_description":"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | EN","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2025-10-23T15:27:44+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1706,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@squawka","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/"},"author":{"name":"Ben McAleer","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4"},"headline":"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors","datePublished":"2025-10-23T14:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-23T15:27:44+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/"},"wordCount":912,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg","inLanguage":"en-GB","accessibilityFeature":["tableOfContents"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/","name":"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors | Squawka | EN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-23T14:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-23T15:27:44+00:00","description":"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/10\/23153418\/RegisLeBris231025_3CFJXJ9-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1706,"caption":"3CFJXJ9 Burnley, UK. 23rd Aug, 2025. Regis Le Bris manager of Sunderland applauds the fans at the end of the Burnley vs Sunderland Premier League match at Turf Moor, Burnley. Picture credit should read: Craig Thomas\/Sportimage Credit: Sportimage Ltd\/Alamy Live News"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-sunderland-premier-league\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Squawka","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Features","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Sunderland analysis: How Regis Le Bris has turned the Black Cats into Premier League survivors"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/","name":"Squawka | EN","description":"Football News, Stats, and More...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4","name":"Ben McAleer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ecc09a71c5a7a0a154f65a823b2d57f865ae282917ddd2eadc3272ff5a55348f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ecc09a71c5a7a0a154f65a823b2d57f865ae282917ddd2eadc3272ff5a55348f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ben McAleer"},"description":"Ben has over 15 years\u2019 worth of experience in the world of football writing and has previously featured on The Guardian, The Independent, Sky Sports, The Irish Examiner, talksport, and more. Ben is, for his sins, a Tottenham fan with a soft spot for Barnet.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/benmcaleer1"],"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/benmcaleer\/"}]}},"yoast_title":"","yoast_description":"Sunderland\u2019s Premier League return has defied expectations. We break down how Regis Le Bris\u2019 tactics, defence and smart signings have powered their strong start.","yoast_keyword":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1405766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/features"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1405766\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1405767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1405766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1405766"},{"taxonomy":"features-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features-category?post=1405766"},{"taxonomy":"squawka-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/squawka-category?post=1405766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}