Sunderland head coach Régis Le Bris has described Arsenal as “one of the best teams in Europe” ahead of Saturday’s Premier League meeting at the Stadium of Light. The Frenchman praised the champions’ five-match winning run in all competitions, their squad depth and the flexibility of Mikel Arteta’s tactical system.
“This season, they are flying,” Le Bris said. “They are one of the best teams in Europe. Five wins in a row, so the run is really impressive. To be competitive in this kind of game, you have to be yourself.”
Le Bris highlighted Arsenal’s 1–0 Champions League win away to Napoli as evidence of their current level. Arsenal controlled large parts of the match in Italy and created 4.05 expected goals while limiting Napoli to five shots, with Martin Ødegaard scoring the decisive goal.
The Sunderland manager said Arsenal’s strength extends far beyond their first-choice lineup.
“It’s still early in the season, but they look so strong everywhere,” he said. “On the bench, every phase, every sub-phase. They are one of the best teams in Europe at the minute. They have good momentum as well.”
Sunderland took confidence from last season’s 2–2 draw with Arsenal at the Stadium of Light. Dan Ballard put the hosts ahead before Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard turned the match around for Arsenal, only for Brian Brobbey to score a 94th-minute equaliser and secure a memorable point.
Arsenal won the reverse fixture 3–0 at the Emirates Stadium, but Le Bris believes his players have earned the opportunity to test themselves against the champions again.
“We earned last year the possibility to go again, to embrace it and to enjoy it,” he said. “It is a good challenge, and we need these challenges to get better.”
Arsenal entered the match with a perfect record, having won the Community Shield, their opening three Premier League fixtures and the Champions League opener in Naples. They had scored 10 goals and conceded only once across those five matches.
The Gunners went on to win 2–0 at Sunderland, maintaining their 100% Premier League record. Bruno Guimarães scored his first goal for Arsenal shortly after coming off the bench, while Bukayo Saka converted a stoppage-time penalty after David Raya had made a crucial save from Enzo Le Fée’s spot-kick.
