by chilipepper91 »
26 Dec 2012 19:14
Copy-and-paste from
my Tilehurst End match report but this was my sum-up.
Federici 7;
Gunter 6; Pearce 8, Mariappa 6, Harte 7;
Kebe 6, Leigertwood 5, Karacan 7, Guthrie 7, McAnuff 6 (Robson-Kanu 6);
Pogrebnyak 5 (Le Fondre 7)
Another positive defensive performance from Reading saw them keep a much-needed clean sheet, which would have looked so much more impressive had they held on last Saturday at the Etihad. That's just one goal conceded in 180+ minutes for the Royals against two decent sides - a far cry from the five conceded at home to Arsenal. The shift to 4-5-1 has been instrumental in that defensive improvement, but what it gives us at the back it most certainly takes away going forward. As noted before, Jimmy Kebe in the first half was effectively playing in a 5-man defence, severely limiting any opportunities Reading had to get forward. Any time we did, it was a hoof down field or a defensive mistake which opened things up, rather than any effective possession.
As frustrating as it was though, it stifled Swansea. They may have had 65% possession in the first 45 but it was all short passes around the Reading half, with frustration or lack of opportunity leading only to long shots which didn't come anywhere near to troubling Adam Federici. The second half opened up more as both teams aimed for a more incisive style of play, but in truth it was obvious that Reading were still coming to terms with their attacking options in this formation. West Ham in three days' time might see a return to 4-4-2 but in tight games against 5-man midfields we've certainly shown that we have enough to hold on and perhaps even nick all three points.
A quick word about Lady Luck, too. Adam Le Fondre had a goal disallowed for handball after punching the ball into Michel Vorm's net, but it was almost three months ago that Demba Ba did exactly the same to earn Newcastle United a share of the points at the Mad Stad. Danny Guthrie could have been awarded a penalty too - the decisions just don't seem to be going Reading's way at the moment. But dwelling on the negatives would spoil a good performance. If it were a boxing match, we'd perhaps have shaded it on points - but sadly knockout is the only way to get 3 points in football, and Reading didn't quite have enough to deliver that killer blow.
