by Sutekh »
31 Oct 2021 06:57
Reading’s most effective (in fact only) strikeforce is a combination Involving both Joao and Meite, with them out the club has absolutely nothing up front that fits the system that the management stubbornly refuse to change. Thus there is a real struggle to pose any real threat to opponents in games currently.
And that’s the problem, one system (4-2-3-1) for every game. Whether the club were playing Talley Calleva or PSG it’d be the same system and if that means playing players out of position and dulling their effectiveness as a consequence then so be it.
The style is also not perfect. It’s too boring and slow, there’s still too much passing just for passing’s sake and not enough directness or pace in the team. In addition the tempo is wrong and it seems the management/team are too often content to try and cling onto 1 goal leads too early in games and therefore invite unnecessary pressure by playing deeper and deeper during games. There is also little to no flexibility in games (unsurprisingly no real plan B) and substitutions are usually some combination of non existent, bewildering or predictable even with a full set of options on the bench.
And this was apparent in the second half of last season when the club contrived to throw away the superb start it had had so isn’t just a current malaise brought about by the utterly unbelievable run of bad luck with injuries.
Overall Reading are stuck in a cul-de-sac and have been ever since Adkins took over only now it’s become one continual struggle of nothingness every season that sees the club no more than lower mid table fodder at best (the average league finish over the last 7 years is around 14th) which, given the general standard of players that have been available is complete underachievement.
And now the combination of poor managerial decisions and ridiculous player signings has caught up with the club and it is unlikely to be able to really clear the decks and break free of this “stuck record” situation until the summer of 2023 - and by then who knows what state the world, let alone the game itself will be in.
Actually, despite all that, I think VP should be given longer, there are some bad circumstances behind the scenes and he does have some bright young talent just starting out. If he can learn too and become a little more flexible in his outlook then there’s some foundation being laid for the future.
(joke!)
