The Wild Lower West: If Carlsberg Did Reading Away Days

SB Nation

Now that’s more like it!

If Carlsberg did away days then this is probably what they would look like. There really wasn’t much that could be criticised about this display, except if I’m really picky, I’d

say we probably should have scored at least five, but maybe that performance is still to come.

Prior to the game I took the opportunity to read several Blackpool supporter comments relating to some of their previous performances this season, and the overriding feeling was that they were “seriously vulnerable if teams choose to run at them rather than play over them”, and so it proved.

Aside from the result itself, what’s also impressive is that the fact our management team had done their own opposition homework (which may seem standard practice for many but something that I thought was sadly lacking under Noel Hunt) – and used a formation which exploited an obvious weakness, rather than selecting the same team and formation and hoping for the best.

The Daniel Kyerewaa Show

For the first 20 minutes, it’s fair to say that this was a classic away performance. Don’t concede, feel your way into the game, look at where weaknesses could be exploited and frustrate the home crowd.

Early on it was Blackpool who created the best chances, but after 20 minutes it was as if someone had gathered the troops and shouted “charge”, because everything from that point was about attack and clever wing play, and for once I don’t mean Lewis.

Daniel Kyerewaa simply tormented Blackpool for the remainder of the game with wing play that I have not seen from a Reading player in a long time.

At times he was unplayable, and I understand that Blackpool defender Michael Ihiekwe still regularly wakes up shouting “stop now, Daniel, I’m getting dizzy”.

He had a hand in all three goals, but more impressive was some of the positions he took up to receive the ball and create havoc. Dropping deep on occasions to receive the ball to feet, running into spaces out wide that drew full-backs out of position, and exploiting space behind Blackpool’s defence, were all features of The Daniel Kyerewaa Show.

Kyerewaa has the thing defenders hate more than anything – pace – and he used it time and time again to exploit Blackpool’s defensive weaknesses. I have also been critical of Kyerewaa’s final ball on more than one occasion this season, but if this performance is anything to go by, then it seems to have improved massively.

Collective improvements

While Kyerewaa was the obvious star of the show, this was a very good team performance, and as I said when I started this article, it is difficult to criticise too much about the way we played.

In possession we looked calm and assured, and out of possession we maintained a really good shape and balance, especially in midfield, where we have previously struggled to contain teams away from home. With more clinical finishing we could have come away with a 5-0, 6-0 victory, and I’d like to bet that a fit-again Jack Marriott would have pushed us closer to such a score.

It could be argued that Blackpool were very poor (which is true), however, you can only ever beat what is in front of you, and in the not-so-distant past we have struggled against sides who were quite simply not very good, mainly because we failed to exploit their weaknesses.

Where I think we are seeing a difference between Leam Richardson and Hunt is that Richardson seems to have the ability to play players in a system that can hurt the opposition.

It was noticeable that, against Blackpool, we had men out wide wanting the ball every time we attacked, and accurate balls to their feet had replaced the need to punt the ball up to a forward who is not very good in the air.

It was also noticeable that we were much more disciplined out of possession. I have mentioned on many occasions the number of goals we concede from midfield areas, where we leave big gaps through the middle and allow players to exploit the space. Against Blackpool we plugged those gaps, with Charlie Savage particularly standing out as someone who held their position and didn’t always get attracted to the ball.

Paudie O’Connor and Derrick Williams once again showed why they are now the first-choice centre-back pairing, and Randell Williams showed signs of why he has been offered a short-term deal.

I have also been quite critical of our full-backs in recent weeks (justifiably I think), yet against Blackpool, both Kelvin Abrefa and Jeriel Dorsett did everything that was asked of them: they defended well and used the ball sensibly when in possession. In Abrefa’s case, I see nothing wrong in a full-back playing across the pitch to retain possession, which is a far better option than the usual aimless ball played up the line to no one in particular.

So, all in all this was a positive performance, and one that I think demonstrates the need for experience on the sidelines.

Not only were the team selection and formation spot on, but the few minor tweaks in and out of possession gave us licence to move forward with purpose, while not neglecting the need to maintain shape when we didn’t have the ball. If this is how Richardson wants us to set up and play in the future, then there could be some exciting times ahead.

Due to our shock exit in round one of the FA Cup we are without a game this weekend, and instead wait until Tuesday for the visit of Peterborough United. That’s quite fortunate for me as my work Christmas party in London on Saturday looks like being an all-day and all-night marathon, so not having to miss a game will I am sure make each drink taste that much sweeter!

In terms of Peterborough, we will be taking on a side who have seen a mixed set of results under new manager Luke Williams, having lost their last three games (league and cup) after four successive victories in November. That said, I still expect Peterborough to be difficult to break down, and patience may be the key to getting a result in this one.