Ross Stewart's form, fitness concerns and Sunderland's defensive structure: Five things Alex Neil will be working on in training this week

Neil gave an honest assessment following his side’s 1-1 draw at AFC Wimbledon, a result which means the Black Cats have won just one of their last eight games.

"I thought there were mistakes and errors that we wouldn't expect,” Neil admitted.

"We had a couple of good moments, some good chances, but not enough moments.”

It was no surprise that Neil felt there were plenty of things to improve, given he’d had just one 40-minute session with the squad before the trip to Plough Lane.

The Scot will have more time to implement his ideas in the coming days, with Sunderland’s promotion hopes hanging in the balance.

Get Ross Stewart firing again

One of the first things Neil will have to rectify is Ross Stewart’s recent dip in form.

Of course the striker has been playing in a struggling side and has lacked support in recent weeks, yet Neil also admitted the forward looked ‘jaded’ against Wimbledon, hence the reason for his second-half substitution.

Stewart remains the joint top scorer in League One with 18 goals, along with Morecambe’s Cole Stockton, yet the Scot hasn’t found the net for six matches.

In those six fixtures Stewart has an expected goals tally of 0.28 per game, which is lower than his season’s average in League One of 0.5.

That shows how Sunderland have diminished as an attacking force, while Stewart also took a heavy touch when he was played through on goal by Alex Pritchard against Wimbledon.

Sunderland’s squad has plenty of attacking options, including Pritchard, Jack Clarke, Elliot Embleton, Leon Dajaku, Patrick Roberts and Jermain Defoe, yet they registered just one shot on target against Wimbledon.

Neil will have to find the right combination if Sunderland are to revive their promotion bid.

Getting players up to speed

Stewart isn’t the only one who has looked jaded in recent weeks.

As Neil highlighted after the game, this squad contains a lot of young players who haven’t played such a high volume of games before.

Many look like they need a rest, yet the Black Cats’ lack of options, most notably in defence, means it will be difficult to take some out of the firing line.

On the flip side, other members of the squad haven’t had enough minutes, particularly at the top of the pitch.

Jermain Defoe has made three substitute appearances since returning to the club, and hasn’t been ready to start games after playing just nine minutes for Rangers in the first half of the campaign.

Similarly, Patrick Roberts had made just two appearances for French side Troyes before moving to Wearside and is yet to start a match since last month’s move.

At Preston Neil coached his side to play with a high, aggressive press from the front, yet Sunderland have sat off opponents in recent weeks.

The new head coach will want to adopt a similar style on Wearside but may have to adapt in the short term.

Settle the defence down

At the other end of the pitch, Sunderland’s defence has kept just one clean sheet in their last eight matches.

Following the departures of Tom Flanagan, Frederik Alves and Denver Hume, there is also a lack of options.

Bailey Wright’s return helped shore things up against Wimbledon, after Danny Batth suffered an ankle injury, yet goalkeeper Anthony Patterson was still forced to make some important saves.

The goals Sunderland have conceded haven’t just been down to their defenders, though, with the team getting overrun in midfield and not retaining the ball well enough.

Jay Matete’s introduction has given the team more composure on the ball in the last two matches, while his arrival from Fleetwood has also provided some extra physicality in the engine room.

Neil will need to make his side more resolute and compact to get them back on track.

Finding the right formation

While trying to make his team harder to play against, Neil will be assessing the most effective formation to utilise.

At Preston and Norwich, the Scot often deployed a 4-2-3-1 system which gave his teams defensive security and energy up front.

Against Wimbledon, Neil set his side up in a 4-3-3 formation, using Carl Winchester in a holding midfield position, with Matete and Dan Neil further forward in box-to-box roles.

While the changes gave Sunderland a bit more security, the side did struggle to create chances, as playmaker Alex Pritchard found himself on the fringes of the game in a wide-left position.

Sunderland often played in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Lee Johnson, occasionally switching to a back three with wing-backs.

Neil will now be weighing up the best system to implement his ideas.

Improving the final ball

Playing with three central midfielders meant there was more licence for Sunderland’s full-backs to make overlapping runs.

Trai Hume and Dennis Cirkin were encouraged to get forward on the flanks, yet their crosses into the box didn’t materialise into clear goalscoring opportunities.

According to Whoscored.com, Hume (three) and Cirkin (four) delivered seven crosses into the box between them against Wimbledon, yet none found a Black Cats team-mate.

That was partly down to a lack of players to hit, but also the quality of their deliveries.

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