Sunderland take on Coventry City in the Championship this Saturday, but events during the week have added a new complication for the Black Cats.

Coventry City sacked manager Mark Robins on Thursday to the surprise of the football world, given the success of his seven-year spell at the Sky Blues.

Robins was the longest-serving manager in the division, giving Regis Le Bris and his coaching staff a deep back catalogue of information about the way Coventry would play on Saturday.

However, with Robins gone, Le Bris will have to guard against the possibility of the cliched ‘new manager bounce’ often seen in football.

Sunderland failed to beat Robins’ Coventry last season, but Le Bris has revealed an attribute of his squad that should see them in good stead at the Stadium of Light this weekend.

Regis Le Bris praises Sunderland’s ‘adaptability’ ahead of Coventry clash

Speaking at his press conference on Friday, Le Bris revealed that he feels the Sunderland squad’s ability to adapt in games will be crucial against the unpredictability of their managerless opponents.

He said: “One of the key points of our game model is adaptability. We have our foundations and from that perspective, off the pitch, we can prepare with game analysis and a game plan but on the pitch you have to react sometimes.

“You have to manage the problems in real-time so it’s not too bad to have something to discover [about Coventry] on the pitch because I think it can make a difference for the future as well.”

Clearly, Le Bris is confident that his side will be able to react to whatever this unpredictable Coventry side throws at them.

This confidence is not born from nowhere, though, as Sunderland have shown their adaptability already earlier in the season.

Sunderland’s win against Burnley proves Le Bris’ adaptability claim

Coming into the second game of the league season against Burnley, Le Bris would’ve watched his opponents put four goals past fellow relegated side Luton Town in the opening fixture.

To adapt to their imposing opponents, Le Bris’ Sunderland gave control of the ball to Burnley, having only 41% of the ball despite being at home.

However, Sunderland were strong going forward in the game, having 14 shots to Burnley’s four, including ten inside the box.

The Black Cats also managed 33 touches in the opposition box whilst limiting the visitors to just seven despite their superior possession. Even after Dan Neil was shown a red card with five minutes to play, Sunderland held strong defensively to secure a 1-0 win against Burnley.

Le Bris will likely have something different planned for Coventry, but his side’s adapted approach to beating Burnley should give fans the confidence to trust the Sunderland manager on Saturday.

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