Reading FC Match Report: 2020/2021 Season - Championship
READING 2 BARNSLEY 0
Reading: Y Meite (67), M Olise (76)
Barnsley: --
Reading took full advantage of two huge errors of judgement by Barnsley's centre backs to claim their second win of the season against a very organised and competitive Barnsley side. Having dominated the game for forty minutes Barnsley were reduced to ten men when Helik foolishly brought down Joao as the Reading striker chased down along ball. Ironically immediately before that incident Rinomhota had denied Barnsley a goal with an incredible block from Ludewig. Reading had rarely threatened the Barnsley goal up to that point but the numerical advantage allowed them to take more control in midfield. Mid way through the second half the ball bobbed around in front of the Barnsley goal following a Reading corner and Yakou Meite nodded the ball over the line from close range. A minute later Barnsley's other centre back, Anderson, decided to handle the ball outside his own box and received a second yellow card leaving the visitors down to nine men. That was pretty much game over. Olise put the result beyond doubt with an exquisitely executed volley from outside the box when the ball was cleared from a corner.
The result, for what it is worth, puts Reading at the top of the table on goal difference with a maximum of six points from two games, but it was a far from convincing performance. Barnsley played with a lot of energy and aggression, denying Reading time and space on the ball all over the pitch. In complete contrast to last week against Derby, Reading when pressed, were unable to string passes together and players on the ball made too many poor decisions in possession. Barnsley were dominating possession passing and moving well and certainly up until the sending off, looked the side most likely to score.
Joao looked isolated up front and received poor service form a brittle Reading midfield. Swift in particular was off the pace squandering possession incessantly. Only Araruna and Richards looked particularly comfortable on the ball and going forward. Barnsley’s four yellow cards and two reds reflected their over physical approach the game racking up a total of twenty fouls. They paid a heavy price for their lack of discipline although they could not be faulted for energy and commitment. In the end it took the direct approach of second half substitute Yakou Meite, returning from suspension, to unsettle the Barnsley defence and break the deadlock.
It is far too early to tell how this season will pan out but Reading have a good squad and a manager who clearly is intent of playing good football. A lot depends on how he can come to terms with the way football in played in the Championship. He will not be the first to struggle with that issue at Reading as we all know. Still, no-one can complain about maximum points and two clean sheets to kick the new season off.
John Wells
Post Match Fans' Opinion
Fox Talbot
Sorry, top of the table maybe but bucket of cold water. False first.
We didn't have a kick before the first red. We scored with our first chance on 70 mins (or just after the corner).
Thought they were better than us and they should only be halfway up the table.
Anyone think we got a benefit from resting the first XI midweek - having looked at that sluggish first half.
Still - results create momentum.
We didn't have a kick before the first red. We scored with our first chance on 70 mins (or just after the corner).
Thought they were better than us and they should only be halfway up the table.
Anyone think we got a benefit from resting the first XI midweek - having looked at that sluggish first half.
Still - results create momentum.
Snowflake Royal
Good win, somewhat gifted by the ref's cards. Fancy this side to score a high number of it's decent chances with Joao and Meite around, so as long as they can stay in games and create the odd chance with those two fit shouldn't do too badly.
Cabral - 7 one very hairy moment but at least one good save
Araruna - 7 good back up to Yiadom, solid
Morrison - 7 solid
Moore - 6 started very badly but grew into it
Richards - 8 looking very comfortable this season
Rinomhota - 7 fantastic block, but not as reliable as always
Laurent - 6 not too involved occasionally sloppy
Swift - 4 diabolical at times, lost the ball again and again, just not a No 10 for me,got better when he dropped back late on and when he had a lot more time and space due to the reds
Olise - 8 quality, best midfielder we have IMO
Ejaria - 7 still trying to do too much and take too many on
Joao - 7 not a lot of service but did his job
Meite - 8 first shot on target then scored from the corner. Welcome back Yak
Aluko - do oxf*rd off
Puscas - n/a
Worrying signs the struggle with the high hard press, but got the result. Hard to see two easier games to start with... playing against 9 men and a Derby side that barely tried.
Cabral - 7 one very hairy moment but at least one good save
Araruna - 7 good back up to Yiadom, solid
Morrison - 7 solid
Moore - 6 started very badly but grew into it
Richards - 8 looking very comfortable this season
Rinomhota - 7 fantastic block, but not as reliable as always
Laurent - 6 not too involved occasionally sloppy
Swift - 4 diabolical at times, lost the ball again and again, just not a No 10 for me,got better when he dropped back late on and when he had a lot more time and space due to the reds
Olise - 8 quality, best midfielder we have IMO
Ejaria - 7 still trying to do too much and take too many on
Joao - 7 not a lot of service but did his job
Meite - 8 first shot on target then scored from the corner. Welcome back Yak
Aluko - do oxf*rd off
Puscas - n/a
Worrying signs the struggle with the high hard press, but got the result. Hard to see two easier games to start with... playing against 9 men and a Derby side that barely tried.
NewCorkSeth
I agree with every one of those scores.
I brought up after the Derby game that Swift does not look as good higher up the pitch. He was so effective last season because of the time he had on the ball. When Laurent came off I was shocked to see Olise drop into that role ahead of Swift, which seemed the sensible choice (well, Swift should have come off tbf).
Millsy
On the face of it, and I've no doubt will people will argue this: we were rubbish, lucky to play against 9 men bla bla bla
My take on it: we deserved the 2-0. Soaked up the pressing, kept a clean sheet, forced the red cards with our threat up front, and finished comfortably.
Rafael - 6.5 not much to do but a pretty good save, looked comfortable
Araruna - 6 - not bad at all. Some really good defending and 1-2s, but he's not Yiadom
Morrison - 6 - did ok, clean sheet
Moore - 6 - did ok, clean sheet
Richards - 7 I've knocked his defensive ability a fair few times so will give him a 7 for a pretty solid left back display today
Rino - 6 - didn't stand out really, but I can't really rate midfielders too highly given they were second best for most of the game Barnsley had 11 on
Laurent - "
Swift - 5.5 I can't see he did that much, seemed to stand out as having a poorish game. Only really did ok when space opened up later
Ejaria - 6.5 - as usual, wasted on the left. As soon as he went central, magic. But then it was against 9 men so...
Olise - 7 - was pretty much class throughout the game, deserved his excellent goal
Joao - 7 - ok he didn't score but he did his job well and was the thorn in Barnsley's high press plan all game. Copy and paste everyone's previous comments about him being vital for us.
Subs
Puscas - 6 - not on for long, but he showed us what he's about with the great shot that forced a save
Aluko - 6.83 - this is going to be unpopular for sure, but what a breath of fresh air to actually have a winger, you know, playing on the wing. One chance in particular with a brilliant cross (our only one of the game of any note I remember). Ok, fresh legs against 9, but still.
Meite - 7 - Changed the game. Almost a goal, followed by an actual goal. Exactly the sort of give-it-all high energy player you need when you're desperate for a goal
Pauno - Have to give him a 7 really. I was a bit disappointed that after the break we were still being pressed and looked clueless, but the plan of using Joao worked in the end, forcing the errors (however harsh we may feel the first red was) and at the end of the day we won the game. Substitutions pretty much perfect - Meite changed the game. Aluko on the left effective, as was Ejaria who went central. Puscas got a bit of a run out and spared Joao injury. And a clean sheet. Can't fault that.
Overall
As I say it'd be easy to knock the team for being useless against a high pressing Barnsley side, and on another day we may have been unlucky, but I'd like to believe our plan was we can take a high press because when you have a Joao up front you whack it up, and though he didn't score, it forced the errors which gave us the win. 2-0 clean sheet. Top of the league. On the other hand let's not get carried away, there is obviously room for improvement.
The importance of Joao
He's important.
My take on it: we deserved the 2-0. Soaked up the pressing, kept a clean sheet, forced the red cards with our threat up front, and finished comfortably.
Rafael - 6.5 not much to do but a pretty good save, looked comfortable
Araruna - 6 - not bad at all. Some really good defending and 1-2s, but he's not Yiadom
Morrison - 6 - did ok, clean sheet
Moore - 6 - did ok, clean sheet
Richards - 7 I've knocked his defensive ability a fair few times so will give him a 7 for a pretty solid left back display today
Rino - 6 - didn't stand out really, but I can't really rate midfielders too highly given they were second best for most of the game Barnsley had 11 on
Laurent - "
Swift - 5.5 I can't see he did that much, seemed to stand out as having a poorish game. Only really did ok when space opened up later
Ejaria - 6.5 - as usual, wasted on the left. As soon as he went central, magic. But then it was against 9 men so...
Olise - 7 - was pretty much class throughout the game, deserved his excellent goal
Joao - 7 - ok he didn't score but he did his job well and was the thorn in Barnsley's high press plan all game. Copy and paste everyone's previous comments about him being vital for us.
Subs
Puscas - 6 - not on for long, but he showed us what he's about with the great shot that forced a save
Aluko - 6.83 - this is going to be unpopular for sure, but what a breath of fresh air to actually have a winger, you know, playing on the wing. One chance in particular with a brilliant cross (our only one of the game of any note I remember). Ok, fresh legs against 9, but still.
Meite - 7 - Changed the game. Almost a goal, followed by an actual goal. Exactly the sort of give-it-all high energy player you need when you're desperate for a goal
Pauno - Have to give him a 7 really. I was a bit disappointed that after the break we were still being pressed and looked clueless, but the plan of using Joao worked in the end, forcing the errors (however harsh we may feel the first red was) and at the end of the day we won the game. Substitutions pretty much perfect - Meite changed the game. Aluko on the left effective, as was Ejaria who went central. Puscas got a bit of a run out and spared Joao injury. And a clean sheet. Can't fault that.
Overall
As I say it'd be easy to knock the team for being useless against a high pressing Barnsley side, and on another day we may have been unlucky, but I'd like to believe our plan was we can take a high press because when you have a Joao up front you whack it up, and though he didn't score, it forced the errors which gave us the win. 2-0 clean sheet. Top of the league. On the other hand let's not get carried away, there is obviously room for improvement.
The importance of Joao
He's important.
Ranty McRantface
1st Half
I said last week if we play a team that presses higher up the pitch it will be a good test to see where we are...still some way to go. Barnsley played a high line and had 3 players setup to press the defence. It put us under pressure for most of the half and we were forced into rushed balls up the pitch. When we did get it up top or midfield Barnsley were just sharp to every ball. They were well prepared and aware of what we did to Derby. This is the sort of game where we needed a bit more width to stretch the play and stop Barnsley being able to play their compact high press game. We also needed our flair players to be better on thr ball, although Olise was good tbf. Last week the creative 3 of Swift, Ejaria and Olise were very good at dropping then passing it quickly to one of the other mids or defenders. This game Ejaria and Swift were doing too many flicks and tricks causing us to lose the ball. Olise did well though.
Lol, at the players trying to ask for a red card when Olise was fouled. There was another defender in behind and the ball was miles away. The second time this happened, but against Joao this time.. Long ball by Swift (pretty much hos only good contribution), Joao 1 on 1, blatant tug back by the Barnsley player and a straight red. A bit of a lucky lifeline I thought as the keeper was going to get it. But I don't know if the rules state that as the Barnsley player was the last man (regardless of the keeper) he had to walk. That was it and I was relieved.
2nd Half
We made a slight tactical tweak. Ejaria/Swift/Olise were told to play a little higher up and not drop back to receive the ball to take advantage of the 1 less man Barnsley had in the middle. Our defenders weren't pressured as much allowing Laurent and Rino to pick up ball, pass and stretch the Barnsley players a bit. Our creative players were still struggling to do anything although Olise was again the better of the 3. We needed that extra dynamic I talked about last week and Pauno then made that change to offer something different for Barnsley to deal with...Enter Meite. Had Barnsley still had 10 men I think 1 of Swift or Ejaria would have been off but off came Laurent as we weren't in any danger defensively. What a great decision was. Meite wins a header, keeper saves and we get a corner. From the corner put in by Olise, a shot is made by Moore and follow up by Meite for a goal. Well deserved for Meite.
Then the killer. Stupid handball by Anderson for Barnsley and he gets a second yellow to be sent for a bath. The second goal was a bit of magic from Olise. What a great first time finish from 20 plus yards to cap off a good performance.
After that we were pretty much in control as you'd expect but without creating much.
Ratings
Rafael 6 - 1 good save in the 1st half but had nothing else to do really. No complaints.
Richards 8 - Solid, reliable, positionally very good and I don't think I ever saw a ball come in from his side by Barnsley. He was my man of the match today just edging it from Olise.
Moore 6 - Nothing bad to say really. He was a bit flat footed in the first 10mins but was just his usual reliable self really.
Morrison 6 - As above but again he doesn't look as calm on the ball as the others and rushes his passes when pressured. Something manager might want to keep an eye on throughout the season.
Araruna 7 - He had a fair bit of traffic coming down his side in the 1st half and had mixed luck dealing with it. But was solid for most parts, good on the ball, got forward well a couple of times and looked very assured.
Rino 6 - He was ok. 1 great block that led to a counter and a red card. No driving runs from him today just sat back and kept it ticking over.
Laurent 5 - A bit sloppy, gave away a silly foul and got overran 1st half with Rino. Not a great game.
Swift 4 - Yes, 1 great pass for the Red card and another in the second half. But christ he was so wasteful. Poor touch and passes today with too many flicks that didn't come off. One of him or Ejaria will be dropped next game.
Ejaria 5 - He did a little bit more than Swift but he so was anonymous in the 1st half and the second half he didn't offer enough going forward. The one big chance he got he spent too much time showboating when he should have laid it off for Puscas to shoot from a few yards out. I've said it before and I'll say this again in the hope the staff are reading this. Coach him to be more direct with his passing! If he released the ball a second or 2 quicker he would be absolutely devastating. We just slow down the play so much when he's doing his thing.
Olise 7 - I knocked him down a bit for too many sloppy passes but the rest of his play was very, very good. Some great skills that came off, good work rate, great finish and looked more of a threat when going forward than our other attacking players today. He will be one hell of a player if he keeps this up. Hopefully still with us!!
Joao 6 - I felt sorry for him because where we rushed passes into him he couldn't do much apart from focus on controlling it and laying it off. Unfortunately, when he laid the ball off the receiving player would lose it! He looked annoyed when he came off but that's the right attitude from a striker. He wants to score and wants to play but it's important to manage his fitness too.
Subs
Meite 7 - Came on and did more than Swift and Ejaria put together. We needed a more dynamic threat to add to our creativity and he was just the man for the job in the second half. I won't be surprised to see him start the next game.
Puscas 6 - Nothing wrong. He had a couple of shots and probably should have had a 3rd if Ejaria had passed it.
Aluko 6 - Not a lot of time but some great skill to take out 3 players and a good cross into the box which I was surprised to see neither Puscas or Meite fighting to get to the end of.
Observations
> We played a high press, high tempo team and struggled today. Some very sloppy performances in midfield.
> I said this last week but we really only need 1 of Ejaria or Swift on the pitch with a different attacking threat to replace them in the 11 to get the balance right up top.
> Good tactical change by the manager to get Meite on. I can't blame him for sloppy midfield performances today.
> Meite needs to start next game
I said last week if we play a team that presses higher up the pitch it will be a good test to see where we are...still some way to go. Barnsley played a high line and had 3 players setup to press the defence. It put us under pressure for most of the half and we were forced into rushed balls up the pitch. When we did get it up top or midfield Barnsley were just sharp to every ball. They were well prepared and aware of what we did to Derby. This is the sort of game where we needed a bit more width to stretch the play and stop Barnsley being able to play their compact high press game. We also needed our flair players to be better on thr ball, although Olise was good tbf. Last week the creative 3 of Swift, Ejaria and Olise were very good at dropping then passing it quickly to one of the other mids or defenders. This game Ejaria and Swift were doing too many flicks and tricks causing us to lose the ball. Olise did well though.
Lol, at the players trying to ask for a red card when Olise was fouled. There was another defender in behind and the ball was miles away. The second time this happened, but against Joao this time.. Long ball by Swift (pretty much hos only good contribution), Joao 1 on 1, blatant tug back by the Barnsley player and a straight red. A bit of a lucky lifeline I thought as the keeper was going to get it. But I don't know if the rules state that as the Barnsley player was the last man (regardless of the keeper) he had to walk. That was it and I was relieved.
2nd Half
We made a slight tactical tweak. Ejaria/Swift/Olise were told to play a little higher up and not drop back to receive the ball to take advantage of the 1 less man Barnsley had in the middle. Our defenders weren't pressured as much allowing Laurent and Rino to pick up ball, pass and stretch the Barnsley players a bit. Our creative players were still struggling to do anything although Olise was again the better of the 3. We needed that extra dynamic I talked about last week and Pauno then made that change to offer something different for Barnsley to deal with...Enter Meite. Had Barnsley still had 10 men I think 1 of Swift or Ejaria would have been off but off came Laurent as we weren't in any danger defensively. What a great decision was. Meite wins a header, keeper saves and we get a corner. From the corner put in by Olise, a shot is made by Moore and follow up by Meite for a goal. Well deserved for Meite.
Then the killer. Stupid handball by Anderson for Barnsley and he gets a second yellow to be sent for a bath. The second goal was a bit of magic from Olise. What a great first time finish from 20 plus yards to cap off a good performance.
After that we were pretty much in control as you'd expect but without creating much.
Ratings
Rafael 6 - 1 good save in the 1st half but had nothing else to do really. No complaints.
Richards 8 - Solid, reliable, positionally very good and I don't think I ever saw a ball come in from his side by Barnsley. He was my man of the match today just edging it from Olise.
Moore 6 - Nothing bad to say really. He was a bit flat footed in the first 10mins but was just his usual reliable self really.
Morrison 6 - As above but again he doesn't look as calm on the ball as the others and rushes his passes when pressured. Something manager might want to keep an eye on throughout the season.
Araruna 7 - He had a fair bit of traffic coming down his side in the 1st half and had mixed luck dealing with it. But was solid for most parts, good on the ball, got forward well a couple of times and looked very assured.
Rino 6 - He was ok. 1 great block that led to a counter and a red card. No driving runs from him today just sat back and kept it ticking over.
Laurent 5 - A bit sloppy, gave away a silly foul and got overran 1st half with Rino. Not a great game.
Swift 4 - Yes, 1 great pass for the Red card and another in the second half. But christ he was so wasteful. Poor touch and passes today with too many flicks that didn't come off. One of him or Ejaria will be dropped next game.
Ejaria 5 - He did a little bit more than Swift but he so was anonymous in the 1st half and the second half he didn't offer enough going forward. The one big chance he got he spent too much time showboating when he should have laid it off for Puscas to shoot from a few yards out. I've said it before and I'll say this again in the hope the staff are reading this. Coach him to be more direct with his passing! If he released the ball a second or 2 quicker he would be absolutely devastating. We just slow down the play so much when he's doing his thing.
Olise 7 - I knocked him down a bit for too many sloppy passes but the rest of his play was very, very good. Some great skills that came off, good work rate, great finish and looked more of a threat when going forward than our other attacking players today. He will be one hell of a player if he keeps this up. Hopefully still with us!!
Joao 6 - I felt sorry for him because where we rushed passes into him he couldn't do much apart from focus on controlling it and laying it off. Unfortunately, when he laid the ball off the receiving player would lose it! He looked annoyed when he came off but that's the right attitude from a striker. He wants to score and wants to play but it's important to manage his fitness too.
Subs
Meite 7 - Came on and did more than Swift and Ejaria put together. We needed a more dynamic threat to add to our creativity and he was just the man for the job in the second half. I won't be surprised to see him start the next game.
Puscas 6 - Nothing wrong. He had a couple of shots and probably should have had a 3rd if Ejaria had passed it.
Aluko 6 - Not a lot of time but some great skill to take out 3 players and a good cross into the box which I was surprised to see neither Puscas or Meite fighting to get to the end of.
Observations
> We played a high press, high tempo team and struggled today. Some very sloppy performances in midfield.
> I said this last week but we really only need 1 of Ejaria or Swift on the pitch with a different attacking threat to replace them in the 11 to get the balance right up top.
> Good tactical change by the manager to get Meite on. I can't blame him for sloppy midfield performances today.
> Meite needs to start next game
JR
That’s the sort of win that successful teams deliver - not at our best, but were patient, managed game well and ruthless enough when needed.
Barnsley have got a very good recent record and will do ok this season.
Swift worries me a bit as two weaker games, but we can’t expect all our creative fires to be firing at once.
Championship is all about momentum and this is the perfect start.
If Riquelme is confirmed the excitement levels could go through the roof.....
Barnsley have got a very good recent record and will do ok this season.
Swift worries me a bit as two weaker games, but we can’t expect all our creative fires to be firing at once.
Championship is all about momentum and this is the perfect start.
If Riquelme is confirmed the excitement levels could go through the roof.....
Zip
Rafael. 6 One good save. Solid. Distribution iffy early on
Araruna 6 Started well. Tenacious. Passing needs to improve
Richards 9. MoTM Lost count of the times he beat his opponent. Very solid defensively. Loved his performance.
Moore 6 Poor start but solid thereafter
Morrison 6 Solid.
Rinomhota 6 Crucial block and generally quietly effective
Laurent 5 Struggled to impose himself. Silly yellow
Swift 4 Shocking for most of the game
Ejaria 5 Struggled to get involved
Olise 7 Lovely goal and the liveliest of our midfielders
Joao 7 Held the ball up beautifully. Always a threat. Very little service
Meite 7 Crucial to the win and gave us a goal threat.
Can’t comment on on other subs as the laptop went on the blink on 80 minutes.
I haven’t seen a team work harder than Barnsley and we struggled to deal with it.
We looked very ponderous and lacked pace and intensity. Still six points in the board is pleasing but Cardiff will be tough next week and we will need to improve on that.
Araruna 6 Started well. Tenacious. Passing needs to improve
Richards 9. MoTM Lost count of the times he beat his opponent. Very solid defensively. Loved his performance.
Moore 6 Poor start but solid thereafter
Morrison 6 Solid.
Rinomhota 6 Crucial block and generally quietly effective
Laurent 5 Struggled to impose himself. Silly yellow
Swift 4 Shocking for most of the game
Ejaria 5 Struggled to get involved
Olise 7 Lovely goal and the liveliest of our midfielders
Joao 7 Held the ball up beautifully. Always a threat. Very little service
Meite 7 Crucial to the win and gave us a goal threat.
Can’t comment on on other subs as the laptop went on the blink on 80 minutes.
I haven’t seen a team work harder than Barnsley and we struggled to deal with it.
We looked very ponderous and lacked pace and intensity. Still six points in the board is pleasing but Cardiff will be tough next week and we will need to improve on that.
This Championship game took place 1526 days ago in the 2020/2021 season.