Talking Tactics: Dan Neil runs the show for Sunderland against Luton Town!
Talking Tactics: Dan Neil runs the show for Sunderland against Luton Town!
Dan Neil epitomises everything it is to be a North East footballer.
From his beginnings as an academy prospect to his first team debut, the South Shields-born Sunderland fan has lived the dream, having represented Sunderland at all levels before leading his team out as club captain with hopes of clinching Premier League promotion.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25874453/2197171519.jpg)
Following his initial breakthrough in 2018 as a teenager in Sunderland’s EFL Trophy pursuit to his current position as one of the first names on the team sheet, Neil has played in a variety of roles during his time with Sunderland — despite appearing to be just another ‘industrious central midfielder’ to the untrained eye.
Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland – Sky Bet League One
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
An emerging talent
Having began as a more advanced midfielder in a ‘double pivot’, Neil honed his craft in League One as more of an attacking presence, using his ability to arrive late and finish moves, combined with his deft touch and eye for a pass to release his teammates and register assists.
Following Corry Evans’ injury, Neil was shoehorned into a more defensive role by Tony Mowbray, and whilst fulfilling the role admirably for the betterment of the team, it certainly felt uncomfortable and unorthodox at times.
Fast forward to the 2024/2025 season and after a twelve-month stint of sharing the responsibility of the ‘six’ role with Pierre Ekwah (with varying levels of success), Neil found himself as the de-facto holding midfielder for the opener away at Cardiff City.
With Jobe taking strides as a box-to-box player and the emergence of another homegrown starlet in Chris Rigg as the more advanced of the midfield trio, Neil — as the ‘senior player’ — was tasked with anchoring the midfield.
Sunderland brushed Luton Town aside with relative ease on Wednesday night and Neil managed to complete an almost perfect performance in the defensive midfield role.
His distribution was outstanding; his reading of the game superb and his dictating of the tempo was a sight to behold.
Let’s take a look at Neil’s performance in more detail and surmise how he’s quietly developed into one of the best deep-lying playmakers in the Championship.
