The tactical dilemma Alex Neil is weighing up - and his message to Sunderland players ahead of latest test

The 3-0 win was Neil's first win as head coach, and was a timely boost for a side whose hopes of even making the play-offs were being threatened by their poor form.

Sunderland face Charlton Athletic on Saturday and Neil hopes to see his side boosted by both the win and the performance.

"I think the fact of the manner of the win, that we were playing a team who has done so well this year, it carried more weight," Neil said.

"Equally, we need to beat those teams up the top end of the table if we want to remain there.

"I think it probably de-stressed the players more than anything else.

"I think there's a misconception that players go home to their big houses and they're not really fussed.it's not the case, it weighs on them. They understood the importance of winning, they want to represent the club, the team, the city.

"I got a feeling of it de-stressing them a bit, being happy with the win but also understanding that we need to continue that in the games coming up.

"What we don't want to do is go and put a performance in against Wigan, win the game, and then the next one is a damp squib.

"We want to build on it, create momentum between now and the end of the season, and make sure that we carry out the things we've been talking about on a consistent basis."

Neil is weighing up whether to make any changes to his Sunderland XI, after Arbenit Xhemajli's superb league debut.

The head coach was impressed with the Kosovan, but was eager to stress that a change in gameplan also better protected the defence.

Neil also changed formation to a 4-2-3-1, and said he would continue to tweak tactics from game to game.

"The structure of the team allowed the backline to play to its strengths, they weren't really exposed at any point," Neil said.

"Whereas if you look at the MK Dons game, I think a lot of the top teams are capable of defending 2-v-1 or 1-v-1 on occasions, unfortunately in that game we didn't do it very well and it cost us.

"So I had to remove that element, if you like, and it relied very heavily on both the understanding and also the legs of the front four.

"That, for me, was the big difference in the game.

"I think it was both [that and the formation change].

"I think the formation negated what I felt Wigan were good at, and it protected what had been a relative weakness for us in the previous two matches.

"What you'll find is, over the course of the season, I'll make tweaks in every game whether it be personnel or whether it be strategy or even formation.

"It's just to make sure we can optimise what we've got on the pitch, and that we don't play into the opposition's hands in terms of what they're good at."

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor