Stoke City can be play-off contenders but must fix glaring issue: View | OneFootball

Highlights

It has been a much-improved few weeks for Stoke City in the Championship.

The Potters endured an incredibly disappointing start to the season, losing seven of their first 11 games, but they recorded their third consecutive victory with a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday.

First half goals from Michael Rose and Medhi Leris put Stoke firmly in control, and while they did not possess the same attacking threat in the second half, Alex Neil's men managed the game superbly to secure all three points and end Boro's six-match winning run.

Having sat just outside the relegation zone prior to the international break, the Potters are now 11th in the table, four points from the play-off places.

Neil praised his players for their recent performances, and he predicted his side would have a good season, but he stressed he is not getting carried away after "too many false dawns" at the club over the years.

"I think it shows where we can get to. I think it shows the potential. We spoke about this even when we were playing Southampton and Leicester but bear in mind against Leicester we had a centre-midfield player who played at centre-back, a centre-midfield player who played at left-back and an 18-year-old up top. It’s going to be fairly difficult to go to the top teams when you are understrength, you’ve got about eight senior players all sitting on the side," Neil told Stoke-on-Trent Live.

"This is probably the first time now when we have look relatively settled in terms of how we're going to play and getting all our players back on the pitch and we've managed to put together three great performances and three great results.

"We're not going to get ahead ourselves – I think there have been too many false dawns at Stoke – but I think we've got great potential and great scope. We’re only going to get better and I'm expecting us to be good this year."

Stoke are back in action when they face fifth-placed Cardiff City at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday as they look to close in on the top six.

Can Stoke City make the play-offs this season?

Despite Stoke's excellent form of late, it is difficult not to feel that Neil is right to be cautious.

It was an outstanding performance against Boro on Saturday, but it does make you question why the Potters cannot replicate those displays on a more regular basis.

Stoke are now in their sixth consecutive season in the Championship since relegation from the Premier League in 2018, and they have struggled to seriously challenge for a top flight return in that time.

Inconsistency has plagued the Potters in the second tier, and it is a problem that Neil has so far been unable to solve during his tenure.

Neil made the move from Sunderland to take over at the bet365 Stadium last August, but despite being in charge for almost the entire season, he was unable to improve the club's fortunes, with his side recording an underwhelming 16th-placed finish.

Stoke did enjoy some impressive spells last season, most notably a five-game unbeaten run in March and April which included emphatic victories at Sunderland and Coventry City, but the win over the Sky Blues would prove to be the Potters' last of the campaign, underlining the unpredictability of Neil's men.

It was an incredibly busy summer in the Potteries as Neil rebuilt his squad, with 18 new players arriving at the club.

After the huge influx of players, Stoke made a strong start to the season with a 4-1 win over Rotherham United on the opening day, but the Potters failed to build on the victory, winning just two of their next 10 matches, increasing the pressure on Neil.

Neil deserves credit for his side's improvement in recent weeks, with outstanding wins over promotion hopefuls Sunderland, Leeds United and Boro, but it is essential that this is not another of the false dawns that the Scotsman described in his post-match interview on Saturday.

The Potters can be a match for any side in the Championship on their day, and with an excellent manager like Neil at the helm, they are more than capable of challenging for the play-offs this season, but they must prove they can deliver the consistency that has been lacking in previous years.