Alex Neil issues critical verdict of Sunderland squad following AFC Wimbledon draw

New Sunderland head coach Alex Neil has suggested that his current squad are not fit enough and perhaps don’t have enough creativity following a 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon on Saturday afternoon.

The Scot, who has gotten off to a winning start at all three of his previous clubs, did not have the same fortunes in his Black Cats debut and they went behind before the half-hour mark thanks to a Luke McCormick penalty.

Sunderland did equalise before half-time thanks to Alex Pritchard’s strike but despite 59 per cent of the possession, that was the Wearsiders only shot on target as they stumbled to yet another match without a victory.

Neil has a relatively young squad to work with and, per the Sunderland Echo, believed that the players he saw in action looked ‘tired’.

He was also critical of the general fitness levels of the squad, saying: “I don’t know if its fatigue or a lack of fitness, but I thought at times today when the game became a transition game and it was end to end, that should suit us with the quality we’ve got.

“But I didn’t think it looked as though we had enough legs to get around the pitch and become really dangerous on the break.”

The 40-year-old also pointed out that aside from goalscorer Pritchard there was a lack of creativity in the Sunderland side at Plough Lane.

“We’ve got quality, but I think what ends up happening is that we’re young and naïve in certain areas of the pitch,” Neil said.

“They’ve got quality, but it’s more about game understanding than anything else and that comes with repetition and matches.”

The Verdict

Neil will probably been less-than satisfied with what he saw as much as the Sunderland fans would have been.

With teams around them in the promotion race having games in-hand, wins