Régis Le Bris has called for greater composure from Sunderland after mistakes proved costly in their 2-1 opening-day Premier League defeat against Ipswich Town.
Sunderland enjoyed plenty of possession at Portman Road but returned home empty-handed after Jack Clarke struck a 90th-minute winner for Ipswich.
Emersonn had earlier put the hosts ahead before Nilson Angulo brought Sunderland level with an impressive free-kick, his first goal for the club.
Le Bris felt the final result was harsh on his side but admitted Sunderland did not make enough of the periods in which they controlled possession.
Le Bris frustrated by Sunderland mistakes
Sunderland saw plenty of the ball, but Le Bris believes their decision-making and execution needed to be better.
“The result feels a bit cruel,” the Sunderland head coach said.
“We dominated the ball and had lots of possession, but we weren't clinical enough with the end product.”
Ipswich instead punished Sunderland when the visitors gave possession away, with Le Bris pointing towards two turnovers that allowed the hosts to attack in transition.
“They were relentless and made the most of the two turnovers and caught us in transition,” he added.
“It's not usual for us to make those mistakes, but this is the Premier League – it's ruthless.”
It was a reminder of the margins Sunderland will face following their return to the top flight.
Having possession alone was not enough at Portman Road, and Le Bris wants his players to show more control when attempting to turn that possession into opportunities.
Sunderland told to show more composure
Le Bris was not surprised by the challenge Ipswich presented in their first home Premier League fixture of the season.
He praised their organisation but believes Sunderland could have dealt with it more effectively.
“They were well organised – that wasn't a surprise,” he said.
“We have to show more composure.
“We didn't manage the ball well enough – that was the problem of the day.”
Those comments underline where Le Bris believes Sunderland must improve quickly.
The Black Cats were able to control significant periods of the match, but their inability to make that dominance count ultimately left Ipswich with opportunities to punish them.
Nilson Angulo provides Sunderland positive
Angulo's first Sunderland goal was one of the major positives to come from the afternoon.
The Ecuadorian produced an excellent free-kick to draw Sunderland level and appeared to have earned his side an opening-day point before Clarke's late intervention.
“It was a nice goal. A really well-taken free-kick,” Le Bris said.
“I'm happy for him to score his first goal, but it's disappointing because we lost the game.”
There will be little time for Sunderland to dwell on the disappointment.
Le Bris wants his players to review what went wrong before quickly turning their attention towards their next Premier League fixture.
“We need to analyse this quickly and move forward after this game,” he said.
“We need to lift our levels for next weekend.”
Key Points
- Sunderland began their Premier League season with a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town.
- Nilson Angulo scored his first Sunderland goal with a superb free-kick.
- Le Bris felt Sunderland failed to manage possession well enough despite controlling plenty of the ball.
- Jack Clarke's 90th-minute goal ultimately decided the contest.
What did you make of Sunderland’s performance against Ipswich, and where do they need to improve most before next weekend?
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