After another loss last weekend to Barnsley, the Royals need to step up their game. In what seemed to be an even match, Barnsley came out on top, with Davis Kellor-Dunn once again proving to be an unstoppable force in their front line.
Orient were unlucky to only come out with a 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers, conceding in the 94th minute. A total of 11 points from eight games sees them mid-table, not having quite the start they wanted after getting into the playoffs last season, but there is still
a long way to go.
In the two sides’ last four meetings, Orient have managed three wins and a draw against Reading.
In this preview I will talk about the impact Jack Marriott has had on the side since his arrival, offer a few alternative tactics and formations that could be used to improve the side going into the next few matches, and give my predictions.
What? League One matchday eight
Season? 2025/26
Who? Leyton Orient
Where? Select Car Leasing Stadium
When? Saturday September 20
Time? 15:00
Opposition manager? Ritchie Wellens
Jack Marriott
Since signing for the club, Marriott has managed two goals in three games: one in the league and one in the Vertu Trophy. He also has an assist which came with his last goal, in the game against Barnsley. At 31 years old he is one of the more senior players in the squad, but his work rate is up there as one of the best. His passion for the sport is shown in his desire and hunger to attack and I can see him doing well for the club.
Scoring on your first start (against Swindon Town) is nice, but he also hit a landmark, becoming the 1500th player to play for Reading.
According to WhoScored, his strengths include his finishing, long shots and through balls. Playing in a two-striker system under Phil Parkinson at Wrexham, he was working wonders as a second striker. Although not as tall as some others, he was the target man for everything, with players like Sam Smith or Jay Rodriguez last season the ones making the runs when he had the ball.
He has the ability to play a similar role for Reading, with Daniel Kyerewaa the main target running off the left-hand side. This then allows him to show off his through-ball strength, but also his ability to then make space for himself to receive the ball back if necessary.
Going back to his pressing, he is a very good tackler for a striker. Noel Hunt likes to play a system that starts with pressing from the front, hence why Charlie Savage works so well in the system as the guy just runs. But Marriott has his role to play as well.
As the striker he is the first port of call as soon as the ball touches a defender’s foot. So from kick-off, a short free-kick or even a backwards pass, the team are all reliant on him being the first line of defence. I think he does this quite well with Reading seemingly winning most of their possession through sloppy passes due to pressure from the front three.
Overall he fits into the system quite well and I hope we can get a few good seasons out of him before he starts to decline with age.
Tactics and formations
As a kid, every football fan dreams of being a footballer. Not me: I love writing and doing tactical analysis on things that aren’t really my place to do analysis on. So, get ready for a bit of waffle.
Speaking tactics is my thing, so here are a few ways I think new tactics and formations can improve Reading in their upcoming fixtures against Leyton Orient, Wrexham and Stockport County.
It was very clear that, when we faced these three teams last season, they all realised Lewis Wing was our focal point. Stockport especially didn’t allow him to have a sniff of the ball and that had a detriment on how we would usually play. Teams then started to pick up on that and there was no change in anything that could combat what they already knew.
With new additions such as Paudie O’Connor, Derrick Williams and Finley Burns, it is clear to me that Reading need to work on how to use a back three. They are easily three of our best players at the club and missing O’Connor through injury in the first part of the season really hasn’t helped our form.
The first formation I suggest is a 3-5-1-1: playing those three in defence with Paddy Lane/Kelvin Abrefa on the right and Kyerewaa/Andre Garcia on the left. This means a rotation between Wing, Ben Elliott, Liam Fraser and Savage in the midfield while using Kamari Doyle as a 10 with Marriott up front. This would give a good balance to the team and allow Reading to do what they do best and dominate the midfield, without having to rely on Wing so much.
The other option is to play 4-2-2-2. This formation was used a little bit by Ruben Selles when he was in charge, and it could work quite well with the players we have now.
Playing Abrefa and John Ryan as full-backs with Kyerewaa and Lane in front of them could cause problems for the opposition defence. I think that group of four has the opportunity to be the go-to four come the midway point of the season.
My predictions
Joel Pereira will start in goal. From what it seems like in recent times, he is the best goalkeeper to come from Manchester United since David De Gea left and, if he keeps performing for Reading, it’s looking likely to stay that way.
The defence should be Abrefa, Williams, Burns and Matty Jacobs. Although not mentioned at all in this preview, Jacob is another I would like to see more of so he can mix in with the squad and finally find his footing in the team.
The midfield should be Wing, Fraser and Doyle. I do think they are our best three options at the minute but, with how often Hunt changes the side, I am never able to predict his midfield.
The attack should be a simple one with Lane, Marriott and Kyerewaa all playing well in the last few games.
Score prediction: 2-1 Royals
Good luck to those going to the game!
Come on you Royals!
