Alex Neil makes Sunderland tactics admission following recent changes | OneFootball

Alex Neil has admitted that a 3-5-2 formation is not one that he is comfortable with using.

However, the Sunderland boss believes that it may be the best way to get the most out of his current squad.

The form of Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms is hard to deny, with the pair each scoring against Bristol City and QPR, bagging five goals between them in the process.

This has left Neil with a positive headache as he looks to find the best tactical fit to get both to continue firing on all cylinders.

A 3-5-2 had been the formation of choice under Lee Johnson before his dismissal at the start of the year but Neil deployed a back four upon his arrival.

But the 41-year old believes that a tactical switch would be worthwhile as long as the team continues to perform.

“My job is to try to fit my best players into my team,” said Neil, via The Northern Echo.

“I’ve got to work out the guys who are going to be most effective, and at the moment,

“I’ve got two strikers on form who have produced for us in the last couple of games.

“They’re a real threat, and they’re building up a good partnership.

“I’ll be honest. I made it really clear before I came here that two up front in a 3-5-2 is not really a shape I’d utilised or used that often.

“But I don’t base my shape around what I want to do, I base my shape around my players, what they’re capable of doing, and how I see us winning games.”

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The strike partnership of Stewart and Simms has been key to Sunderland’s start to life back in the Championship.

The Black Cats have earned five points from their first three games, with the two forwards key to their results, having scored five of the team’s six goals.

Up next for Neil’s side is a trip to Bramall Lane to face Sheffield United this evening.

The Verdict

Some managers can be too stubborn to make tactical changes, even if it is to their own detriment.

That Neil has recognised the 3-5-2 formation has worked and is willing to stick with is a sign of his adaptability as a manager.

Simms and Stewart have struck up an impressive partnership, with the Everton loanee adapting to his own new surroundings quite well.

Sheffield United this evening will be a big test of how defensively solid this system is, having conceded five from the team’s opening three games as well.