Alex Neil issues challenge to Stoke City players ahead of busy January period | OneFootball

Alex Neil has issued a challenge to his Stoke City players ahead of a challenging month of Championship action.

The Potters manager has highlighted the condensed nature of the second division table going into the hectic festive schedule.

Neil wants to see improvements from his side heading into the new year as the squad seeks to climb the table in a bid to challenge for promotion.

The Stoke boss believes that the table will become more solid in shape in January, which is why he has challenged his team to improve their form in a crucial month for the campaign.

Stoke will go into the festive period 17th in the table, with fixtures against Rotherham United, Burnley and Preston North End bringing the club into 2023.

“I think what it shows is that there is very little between the teams and each team beating each other regularly over the course of the season,” said Neil, via Stoke Sentinel.

“When you think you’ve worked the Championship out it throws up another set of strange results.

“I do think, though, that there will be a break-off probably from this point onwards and the better teams will start to take off.

“I think the teams that will struggle will start to detach.

“It always happens in a season. I think these next 10 games are going to be vital for that.

“I stressed that to the players when we came back from the World Cup break.

“We know if we can put a good run together in this next batch of matches, you can put yourself in contention with the teams above you rather than below you.”

The big Xmas day Stoke City quiz – Can you score 18/18?

1 of 18

In which year was the club founded?

1862 1864 1866 1868

Stoke have two wins from their last six games, which has seen them fall five points adrift of the play-off places before this afternoon’s action.

Victory over the Millers could take Neil’s side to the top half of the table, if results elsewhere go in their favour.

The Verdict

January will see Stoke play up to four league games in January, with the transfer window also opening for the month.

That will see a flurry of activity both on and off the pitch which could have a huge say in the direction of the rest of this season.

Neil hasn’t had too big of an impact on the team since arriving in August, but January should give him a chance to alter the squad closer to his liking.

The next week could also bring the team back into the promotion conversation if they can string a couple of good results together.