Match Day Thread Reading v Norwich

Reading were really solid defensively but we dominated the ball so much it feels like 2 points missed. Lots of loose passing tonight from Byram, McLean and Nunez. Ramsey and Pukki really struggled to get on the ball, it felt better when Sargent went up front as his hold up play helped bring players up the pitch. I would have liked to see Sara come in for Byram and shift McLean to left back.

Haven’t looked at the stats but my POTM was Gibbs, the boy oozes class and went on several driving runs through midfield carrying the ball beyond 3 or 4 Reading players each time

 

I was also really impressed by Gibbs on both sides of the ball. He gets better every time he plays and just as well with the tough games we have coming up.

Hanley was WhoScored's MotM and that's about right.

 

It's frustrating to see lacklustre attacking play and for it to feel like two points dropped, but equally there's plenty of positives in the fact that we're joint top with a team which still has significant issues, and doesn't appear to have got out of second gear yet. Based on the current table, there's only one tougher trip this season.

Get through to the end of the month without more than a couple of defeats and we'll be looking good.

 

I think lacklustre is a little harsh actually. I admit I couldn’t properly concentrate because I was also working, but did manage to focus exclusively on it in the second half and it was clear we were getting the better chances and there was some good creativity. The issue is they aimed to be really defensively sound, they were a quality and organised enough side to do it and we struggled with a couple of moments of decision making - Hernandez when through over running, Sinani a strange outside boot cross which hit the first man when there were four of our players perfectly placed, etc

All round pretty encouraging. And we might not have made top of the league, but we are now equal points, with Reading no closer despite this being their home game.

 

Scrapped a draw at home to a poor WBA side, won away at Blackpool after a get out of jail card mistake by their defender and then draw away at Reading with a rare goal from a CB. Pretty passing across the pitch by back four, but little final third action with one shot on target.

 

...Obvious room for improvement but equal with 1st place in the league. I'll take that for now.

 

The results have been good but the performances are still not convincing. Had we played like that against a PL side we'd be hammered. Krul made a stunning save to deny what looked to be a certain goal and the right post deflected another as they produced 7 shots to our 1 in the first half.

The second half started better with some quick, one-touch passing but then slowed again with a lot of sideways passing until at last a well worked corner produced Hanley's goal from Sargent's assist. Set pieces are one thing we have improved.

Núñez had a very quiet game and that affected our play but Gibbs put in a really good performance which may ease our DM problems. I'm really not convinced by Ramsey playing WL as he looks lost at times and that was also true of Sargent on the right. The 4-3-3 is forcing players out of position and it shows in the play. McLean was playing on the right much of the time, which also seemed strange. Still, the unbeaten run goes on and we're joint top. I just hope that's still the case after our away games coming up against Watford, Sheffield United and Burnley.

 

Grant Hanley: First goal of season reward for work with set-piece coach - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63142227

 

Absolutely agree about the 4-3-3. It is neutering Pukki, turning Sargent into a shadow of what he can be if played more centrally, and last night it led to the worst performance so far by Ramsey, who seems much better when he comes infield and links a lot of the forward play.

We are often told that one of the virtues of Smith is that he is pragmatic rather than ideological, so is there any chance he might experiment with 3-5-2 or even 4-4-2 in order to find a way that maximises both Pukki and Sargent?

 

As I recall, we did use both a 3-5-2 and a 4-4-2 last season. Other variations would be a 4-3-2-1 (Christmas tree) or the 4-2-3-1 favoured by Farke, though those wouldn't solve the Sargent dilemma. A 4-3-1-2 would allow both strikers to play up front with Ramsey, Dowell or Cantwell playing as a playmaker behind them. McLean and Núñez could move forward when we attack with Gibbs, Hayden or Sørensen screening the defence. That would allow the 3 man midfield but also make the most of our attacking players.

 

For me, the 4-3-1-2 seems worth trying. From what we've seen, I think the playmaker role would suit Ramsey, although if it works well, we'd have the problem of who replaces him when he goes back to Villa.

 

AM is Ramsey's main position, though he has also played in CM. He never played out wide until he came to us. For that reason, a 4-3-1-2 makes even more sense as it provides a 3 man midfield and accommodates both strikers, with the width being provided by the overlapping FBs.

 

It had to be with his foot, he is never going to score with his head. First to the ball on numerous occasions only to send it over the bar.

 

With so many games coming thick and fast I wonder how much time there is to actually work on different things in training. How much time is spent managing niggles and ensuring the team is fit and healthy for the next game? I suspect set pieces are something that can be practiced and improved and effective against all opposition rather than individual tailoring moves for opposition

 

It wouldn't surprise me if Byram has barely taken part in regular training between games for the best part of a month, he's clearly being managed carefully. Game, Recovery, Rest, Match Prep, Game. Any defensive injuries really would be a killer right now, the sooner Giannoulis is fit the better.