This time last year, Southampton were in a similar position to the one Sunderland find themselves in now, with their play-off place assured but with no possibility of forcing their way into an automatic-promotion spot.
Saints boss Russell Martin effectively wrote off the final four games of the regular season, making a host of changes as his side suffered three defeats, one of which saw them hammered 5-0 at Leicester City.
Martin was determined to keep his players fresh and fit ahead of the play-offs, and his approach was rewarded when his side saw off West Brom in a two-legged semi-final before beating Leeds United in the final at Wembley.
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Le Bris has adopted a similar approach with Sunderland in the last few weeks, prioritising fitness over form as he has rested a number of his key players ahead of the play-offs.
The Black Cats have failed to win any of their last four matches, but while he intends to name a stronger line-up for the next two games against Oxford United and QPR, Le Bris continues to insist he is not concerned at his side’s results in the lead-up to next month’s semi-final.
“I think Southampton lost some games towards the end of the season,” said Le Bris. “I think one of them was 5-0, but they were still promoted.
“We have to manage things properly. The question now is about the desire of the squad, the team, and of the fans and the connection we have together. At Bristol City, we played with ten men and showed good connection, good energy.
“This part of the project is the most important, so now I hope that we will have mainly a full squad and a good energy in our two more games to play (before the play-offs).”
