Meticulous, methodical and up until the early hours of the morning delving into data and clips of his Sunderland team.

Régis Le Bris is leaving no stone unturned in his first few weeks in charge of the Black Cats, having began to sow the seeds of positivity in pre-season. 

Sunderland have looked solid defensively, transitioned with pace and more than matched Premier League side Nottingham Forest in their first friendly out in Alicante.

READ MORE: Sunderland boardroom talks in Alicante as Régis Le Bris gets positive feedback

The Black Cats have a steady wind beneath their sails and the general mood at their Alicante training camp is a positive one. Players have enjoyed getting to grips with the new blueprint instilled by Le Bris, and he too looks settled in relatively new surroundings.

Although a jaunt to Spain in the warm weather sounds like a holiday, it's far from the case. The French head coach has been up until the early hours of the morning going through data analysis, which looks set to play a big part in the way he'll manage during his tenure at Sunderland.

The video below gives us a brilliant insight into his early work, demanding they play with pace in possession, something Le Bris was repeatedly demanding in the opening friendly of the tour.

Yesterday's session at the La Finca training base was only around 40 minutes - the blistering 39 degree heat unbearable to stand in let alone train - which saw the Black Cats players put through a light session ahead of today's game against CD Eldense.

Nectar Triantis, Pierre Ekwah and Eliezer Mayenda were the only players not to take part in training, the Australian defender picked up an injury earlier in pre-season, while the French midfielder injured his back against Nottingham Forest in a challenge on Friday night. The reason behind Mayenda's absence is mystery at this stage.

Abdoullah Ba, who also picked up a knock at a similar time to Triantis, was on the grass going through his own individual programme, but it's unlikely he'll play a part tonight.

Alan Browne, Jay Matete and Luis Hemir Semedo all missed the game against Nuno Espirito Santo's Forest, but they're expected to be involved in some capacity this evening at the Pinatar Arena.

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There could also be a debut for new goalkeeper Simon Moore, who was put through his paces along with the rest of the goalkeeping group yesterday afternoon having recovered from a slight knock.

Le Bris is expected to rotate his side tonight after impressing against Forest. They were watched by former Sunderland boss Gus Poyet on Friday night, accompanying fellow Uruguayan Juan Sartori to the game. 

Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman took in both the game on Friday night and in attendance at the open training session, both relaxed as they spoke with supporters who'd bought the VIP tour package through the club. It may still only be pre-season, but the mood in camp seems a much happier place that it was after the defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on the final day of the 2023/24 Championship campaign.