Reading v Manchester United 1/18 [R]

I'd absolutely love a win against Man U this weekend. Although, as Reading has no real rivals (yet, anyway) in the Premiership, I have no real hated team, the Red Devils probably come closest. Their mass amounts of bandwagon fans who couldn't name three players if they tried just bother me, and there's so many more of them then the other "Big 4". But, anyway, my bet on the lineup:

---------Doyle----Long/Kitson-------------
---Convey---Gunnarsson---Harper----Hunty
---Shorey---Ingimarsson---Pearce----Murty
----------------Hahnemann----------------

Gunnarsson and Pearce seem to me like the two real variables there, and the whole thing with Kitson. If he's healthy, he definately plays, but otherwise I'd give Long the edge over Lita, but it could really go either way. Cisse is a possibility instead of Gunnarsson, may actually be more likely, and Rosenior or De la Cruz could easily play instead of Pearce, with Bennett as an outside option.

 

Coppell goes with:

---------Kitson-------Lita------------
Convey----Harper----Hunt----Doyle
Shorey----Cisse---Ingimarsson---Murty
------------Hahnemann---------------
Subs: Federici, De la Cruz, Rosenior, Long, and our new guy Matejovsky

I hope we can get a point out of this match. That would be huge.

 

Doyle on the wing and Cisse at centre back. Interesting, but sounds pretty good. Hopefully our back line holds and we can get some good strikes in, keep them on their toes. A tie would be nice, a win epic.

 

0 - 0 at the half, and from the sound of the match tracker Reading has been playing very well, even noting that we looked to be the better team of the half. Shame to be missing this one by the sound of it, sounds like a real thrilling game.

 

Convey gets kicked by Ferdinand on the bottom and gets only a yellow. Just wow.

Cisse deserves to be starting CB. His performance has been excellent. The entire team has been playing like they want to win this.

 

0 - 2 Final for Man U, due to a 78' strike by Rooney and 91' by Ronaldo. We gave them a hell of a game, and it could have real gone either way until the very end. Oh well, on to Chelsea.

 

Well the scoreline is flattering to Manu since Reading definitely played like they deserved to win. All that was lacking was the final touch on many a chance. Only one defensive mistake by Cisse letting Rooney go got them the first goal, but I still believe that after his performance he should start in CB in place of Sonks or Ivar.

As to the second goal by Ronaldo, well thats what happens when you have your entire team forward trying to dink the ball in and get caught on the counter.

If they play like this against every team I don't think we'll have to worry about being near the relegation zone for too long. Chelsea better be ready for us and I'm sure Copps will tell the boys to keep playing like this.

 

If the final score of 2-0 to United was in line with many predictions, how it came about was rather different.

With the ongoing roadworks to repair the gaping Sidwell & Little shaped hole in the middle still looking no nearer the day when the cones will be removed, and further potholes in the shape of three central defenders either on African cup duty or injured offering the prospect of a bumpy ride, a side featuring three forwards wasn’t exactly the tighter-than-Buster-Bloodvessel-in-a-child’s-wetsuit formation expected.

It contrived to serve up what was looking to be one of those examples of entertaining 0-0 draws that people talk about, but struggle to recall too many of, until two late goals scored ironically by players who’d had games they’d rather forget up until those points, to steer the game back to its intended script.

Looking at the cold stats you have to say United deserved the win. They did have a lot more chances, and but for some slack finishing, could have made it the comfortable win it was supposed to be much earlier. But this was one of those games that shows why such stats often fail to tell the true story of a game, as for 93 minutes it was end to end stuff with both teams playing a full part in a game full of attacking football, with the result in the balance up until a breakaway deep into added time. Premiership teams who have lost 2-0 at home don’t usually get cheered off the pitch.

Had it not been for some frustratingly bad final balls, Reading could well have got a goal, and a share of the points. United’s formation seemed to almost repeat the mistake made by Liverpool at the Madejski a month earlier, and give Reading room to attack, but with Convey still looking like a player returning from a long lay-off, and a striker in Doyle playing on the other wing, the play often had to cut back inside where Reading are not the strongest. Other than a number of blocked shots, Reading’s best chances fell to Kitson twice in the first half. For one Van der Sar failed to hold a Lita shot, and the tussle between Kitson and Vidic for the chance to clear or tap into an empty net was given as a free kick in Utd’s favour. Van der Sar also failed with another clearance, and Kitson’s 40 yard first time shot was headed away from an otherwise unguarded net. Van der Sar was more impressive saving another Kitson shot in the second half, as well as blocking an attempted chip from the same player.

Utd had had a number of chances, but from the moment Ronaldo weakly hit an early chance wide they tended to have an air of desperation about them, as if United’s players felt under pressure from the off in a game they knew was a must-win fixture. Too often United shot from distance, and when they did get closer in, some smart defending, in particular from Kalife Cisse impressing greatly in his first start at centre-back, seemed to be enough to put them off, and gave Cristiano Ronaldo another chance to go through his full repertoire of “why does the world hate me?” faces after missing.

The truth is Reading might be in the same division as United, but the stretched finances of the game at this level, as uneven as Laurel & Hardy playing on a see-saw, means we aren’t in the same league. To get something we need a little luck, and fortune didn’t favour any bravery by us this afternoon. As fine as the final ball and finish were for United’s opener, the move started through a deflected clearance. Unlucky or poor defending? Hard to say, but after being frustrated by their own endeavours, they snapped up that little gift.

The goal saw the introduction of new Czech signing Marek Matejovsky into Reading’s midfield, and going by the 10 minutes or so he had, once fully fit, he could add that bit of quality and creativity Reading have been crying out for. After a plethora of missed or misplaced passes by the rest of the midfield – Hunt in particular in an unfamiliar central midfield role was as terrier-like as usual, but played passes like they’d come off the end of a dogs nose – he picked out teammates with ease.

Reading almost snatched it at the death. This time Harper got put through for a chance on the edge of the box, but with the shot whistling past Van der Sar and looking right in the corner, the ball went on the abuse the laws of physics and somehow sneak its way wide. If ever there was a moment to say that despite the effort and performance, it just wouldn’t be our day, that was it. But to make doubly sure, in the 4th minute of injury time, another blocked though ball broke kindly for United with virtually every Reading player forward, and they don’t tend to miss three-on-one chances. They didn’t and that was game over. It only remained for the Reading crowd to stand and applaud the team off. There may have been a few miserable defeats this season, but this wasn’t one of them.

 

Given what there was to work with, I was really pleased with this line up and they way the team played. Hunt in mid-field was an inspired choice, which opened up a spot on the right for Doyle and get Lita on the field. Hunt's distribution wasn't great, but he disrupted and harassed like a champ. I think he just has more to offer than Gunnarsson. And Cisse as CB was on fire! Reading's best player on the day for sure.

I hope Coppell stays with this line up, at least until Matejovsky proves he can take over at mid field. Give me this 4-4-2 attacking play over the 5 in the back Aston Villa crap any day.

 

I watched the first half on Setanta and agree about Cisse...he looked great at CB in the first half. I loved how he stuck on Tevez and pushed him out, out and out of the scoring area by staying all over him.

Again, I just watched the first half but I thought the team played great offensively and defensively. I just wish they could play like that against the Boltons, Middlesboro, B'Hams and Wigans.

 

So wrong on so many different levels...