“Keeping up the intensity until the whistle goes could result in a goal or two for Huddersfield.” - Reading Preview
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
Simeon Pickup from Reading fan podcast, The Tilehurst End, tells us the reason behind the thrashing of Luton Town, Reading’s threats and predictions for the rest of the season.
Well, it’s a point gained. That’s all that can be said about Huddersfield’s game with Preston. Following the boring 0-0 draw on Saturday, a trip to the Madejski Stadium beckons for The Terriers against a Reading side who thrashed Luton Town 5-0 at the weekend.
We keep focusing on this, but with five games to go, Town are just four points away from the magic 50 point mark which is deemed enough to keep them safe in the league. With four points and two clean sheets in the last two matches, will they add to their points tally and reach their points target with a win over Reading? To find out, we spoke to Simeon Pickup from Reading fan podcast, The Tilehurst End.
Reading beat Luton Town 5-0 at the weekend with just 38% possession. Photo source: Reading FC
What a win against Luton! Were you expecting that and also were Luton any good?
Certainly not! We’d just come off an awful performance at home to Brentford a few days earlier, so although I was expecting a reaction and win against Luton, I definitely didn’t anticipate such a dominant display and convincing scoreline. It’s a huge testament to the mental character of the players on the day at Kenilworth Road, not to mention Mark Bowen’s personnel and tactical changes from midweek.
Luton themselves weren’t very good at all, and only really threatened once at 0-0 when they hit the bar with a header. Although they dominated possession with more than 60% of the ball, they were lethargic with it and were too open off the ball, allowing us to cut them open with relative ease.
How do you feel about football returning and Reading’s form since the restart?
Delighted with it returning as I was starting to go crazy during lockdown without football to get stuck into every Saturday and Tuesday. Just having the competitive game back on our screens, even without crowds in attendance, has been a big boost.
Reading’s form after lockdown and before the Luton game had been up and down, quite literally. We started off well with a bright performance against Stoke City, despite letting the 1-0 lead slip, then followed that up with an average display at Derby County before a dire one at home to Brentford. It had - before Saturday - looked like the players were OK with letting the season slip away with a relative whimper.
How would you rate Reading’s season prior to lockdown?
Positive, but frustrating in terms of overall progress. After a poor start under Jose Gomes, Mark Bowen made us much harder to play against and beat, hence the push up the table. One of the main reasons we’ve not got to the top six has been our inability to develop a coherent playing style across the season.
First success with 3-5-2, then when that ran out steam we eventually settled on a 4-2-3-1, but Lucas Joao’s injury on New Year’s Day (and subsequent lack of a target man) prompted a tactical rethink. Despite having seven months or so since that injury to develop an alternative without Joao, Bowen’s failed to do so. There’ve been bright individual displays from Ovie Ejaria, John Swift, George Puscas and other forwards in Joao’s absence, but without the consistency.
Yakou Méïté scored four goals for Reading at the weekend with just 24 touches of the ball, meaning every sixth touch he had resulted in a goal. Photo source: Reading FC
In your opinion, what needs to be done to have a successful end to the season? Do you have much to play for?
We’re certainly a side that’s looking up rather than down in the long run, and have the aim of getting into the top six at some point. We’ve left it too late to do that this season, but a positive end to the campaign will set us up nicely, so the aim certainly has to be to finish in the top half, if not the top ten. That’s very achievable, but I fear this group will lack that psychological edge to claw back a few places in the league table.
Who’s going to be your key player in these last games?
There are two ways of answering this really. In terms of who our best player is, I’d certainly go with John Swift who’s by far our most creative option, and he’s rightly been linked with a Premier League move in the next transfer window. His ability on the ball is great, and even when he’s on an off day he’s got a habit of popping up with a moment of magic.
In terms of whose form will be most important, it’ll be George Puscas. He’s our go-to lone striker in the absence of Lucas Joao, and although he’s gradually improved in that role, he struggles for consistency. To be fair though, that’s largely due to the service and support he gets, which we’ve not always got right for him - although both fell into place nicely at Luton.
What did you think of Huddersfield when they played against Reading earlier this season?
Excellent for the first 20 minutes or so, when they pinned us back into our own box pretty much and dominated possession. However, there was a lack of proper incision, which would have meant the afternoon going very differently if it’d been there. The confidence seemed to drain quite noticeably as the game went on, and the second half was a much more comfortable one for us. In the end, our cutting edge late on - compared to Huddersfield’s lack thereof - was the difference.
Royals boss Mark Bowen asked his team to be positive and play on the front foot before the Luton game and they certainly delivered. Photo source: Reading FC
What have been Reading’s weaknesses, is there anything Huddersfield can take advantage of?
The big one for me, as I mentioned earlier, is the lack of support for the lone striker. Although we’ve got some very good creative players in Ovie Ejaria and John Swift, plus wide forward Yakou Meite, they don’t always support the frontman closely enough, leaving them isolated and easy to mark out of the game.
Otherwise, a lack of concentration late on in a half has been our undoing a few times since lockdown. Stoke scored late on from a sloppy corner goal, while Derby struck twice just before half time a week later, so seeing a half out is problematic. Keeping up the intensity until the whistle goes could result in a goal or two for Huddersfield on Tuesday.
What have you made of Mark Bowen? From the outside, it seemed a strange move.
He’s done a solid job and got us on track well. To be fair, he had a tough job to get the talented but underperforming side he inherited organised, not to mention succeeding a very popular manager under a bit of a cloud. There were suggestions he’d essentially sacked Jose Gomes and taken his job, which probably were wide of the mark.
I’d like to see him be a bit more coherent tactically. We can take average form in the long run - it’s a damn sight better than the relegation battling we’ve seen in recent years - but developing a specific style of play rather than constantly chopping and changing would be welcome.
Who has been the standout performer this season?
John Swift, who’s been a creative marvel with 10 assists - putting him towards the top of the table in that regard - is my main shout. Otherwise, Rafael has been a dominant ‘keeper for us, impressing with his shot-stopping and command of the box all season.
Huddersfield need to be aware of Reading’s counter-attacking threat, says Simeon Pickup. Photo source: Reading FC
Which players have performed well but gone under the radar to other clubs in the league?
We lack an extra dimension offensively when Andy Yiadom isn’t in the side. He’s a dynamic, confident, attacking right-back who’s got a great ability to put us on the front foot with charging runs forward. When he’s been out, Chris Gunter’s been very dependable in that same position. He’s bounced back really well from being left out of the squad completely last summer, to put in arguably his best performances in years.
Is there anything Huddersfield need to be on the lookout for in this game?
Reading hitting them on the break. As we showed against Luton, we’re happy to bide our time, win the ball back and counter to good effect. That’s probably our best way of opening up space for Ejaria, Swift, Meite and others to work in, so keeping an eye on that will be key from Huddersfield’s point of view.
What do you think of Huddersfield so far this season?
I haven’t followed them too closely to be honest, but I’ve been surprised by just how bad it’s been. You don’t expect a recently relegated side to struggle so badly, and I would have expected to see more of a reaction from Cowley’s appointment.
What’s your score prediction for the game?
Reading 2-0 Huddersfield. A pretty tight game, but Reading to again have the edge in the final third.
What’s your end of season prediction for both teams?
Reading to finish around about 12th, putting in some positive performances but lacking the consistency to burst into the top 10. Huddersfield to narrowly survive at the expense of Luton Town, Barnsley and Hull City.
How do you think Huddersfield will get on against Reading? Let us know in the comments!
