Why Neil is 'delighted' with Cats amid race for play-offs
Alex Neil says he is delighted with the progress of his Sunderland side as they face up to a defining week.
The Black Cats are averaging two points-per-game since Neil's arrival, which he says is testament to their application given some of the issues he inherited.
"I'll be honest, I'm delighted with the progress we've made," Neil said.
"We came in with three defeats on the bounce, having conceded ten goals in that time. Some of the younger lads looked really fatigued, and we had guys we signed in January who'd played next to no football for the best part of 12 months.
"Right across the board, we're in a much healthier place and we're unbeaten in a large number of games.
"To get to where we are, the lads deserve a huge amount of credit because even in the games drawn, some of them we've played really well and deserved to win.
"We've tried to give them a structure and an understanding of where we were lacking, and then it's up to them to go and do it.
"They're a really hungry squad who are eager to do well, and I've just tried to help them hone their skills. They've done the hard work, and I've been delighted with that."
While the stakes could not be higher ahead of the
final three games, the head coach says he feels there is a quiet confidence about his group as he outlined his approach.
"Intuition is a big thing in football, you make an assessment of where you think your group are at," Neil said.
"Sometimes you might just [need to] chat to a couple of individuals, sometimes it might be addressing them as a group.
"I certainly haven't seen any nerves or any fear, in any way shape or form, over the last month. I think the mindset has been really positive, they have been focused.
"We got sloppy for a short period against Shrewsbury but I felt that was a brief period of complacency rather than fear or nerves.
"I think we have confidence in our process and how we go about the game.
"Everything we've done so far, whether it's worked completely or not, has been done by design. The games have fluctuated by us changing certain things, the players have picked the tempo up when we've needed to, let it drop when we've needed to control it a bit better.
"That side of things we've done really well."
Neil nevertheless warned that his side will be in for a tough test against a Cambridge United side who heavily rotated their squad in midweek and beat Wigan Athletic their last away fixture.
"They've rested six players in midweek, which tells you the importance they're putting on this one," Neil said.
"It will be a difficult game, they've got a good target to hit and they can counter with pace.
"As I've said loads of times, we just need the fans to stick with us and back us as best they can. They'll stay with the lads and the team, and we'll do our utmost to win the game for them. There might be moments when we're not moving the ball as cleanly, where they have an opportunity. We just need to stick with the plan."