The Black Cats boss made seven changes for this afternoon’s home game with Blackburn Rovers, and watched his much-changed side crash to a 1-0 defeat thanks to a first-half goal from Tyrhys Dolan.
The loss means Sunderland have failed to win any of their last four matches since Le Bris began to make changes and rest players ahead of the play-offs.
The final two games of the regular season will see the Black Cats travel to Oxford United before hosting QPR, and assuming everyone is fit and available, Le Bris will be fielding his strongest line-up in both matches.
“We explained before that this part of the season, it has been a little bit weird,” said Le Bris. “We didn’t really have a choice because we had a very small squad and they played so many games with probably 14 or 15 players.
“It was really important to refresh the squad and it was possible because we had 76 points, and we deserved this opportunity.
“Now, with two games to play and one per week, the situation will be different. It will be possible to start with our ‘main’ XI and I hope that we will find our rhythm, the right flow and dynamic.”
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Sunderland’s form has nosedived since their play-off place was effectively guaranteed with a 1-0 win at West Brom, and some supporters have expressed concerns that the Black Cats could be heading into next month’s semi-final first leg devoid of momentum.
Le Bris hopes the next two games will enable his side to get back into their groove, and is confident his players are capable of reproducing the kind of performances they were delivering consistently in the first two-thirds of the season.
“The main focus now is clearly the achievement of the season and what we want to do together,” he said. “Even with the poor result (against Blackburn), and in the end it was a defeat at home, I think everyone understood what we are doing.
“It is time to switch into a different mode now, the play-offs mode, and I hope we will have everyone connected for that fixture.
“Every situation is unique, and we have had a specific situation where it was impossible to solve with other options. But the players have shown before that they are able to react.
“For me, I am confident and I trust these players 100 per cent. Now, it’s a question of mindset because the play-offs are totally different and the energy you have to manage is totally different. So, I think we’ll able to show the desire.”
