So, it’s here at last! Our first three points of the season, thanks to Paddy Lane’s left boot, and what a debut goal to score for your new club—not the Evri package that the notifications have guaranteed will not arrive for weeks.
It’s true that you can only defeat what is in front of you, but Port Vale was, to be honest, a mediocre team that hardly ever threatened anything other than a home victory. Our shape and overall play showed signs of improvement, and I was especially pleased with the way we moved the ball when we played through the midfield (though mostly in front of Vale’s defence), which has been sorely lacking in recent weeks and far too frequently leads to a long ball played forward to nowhere.
Let’s begin by discussing the advantages. First of all, with his defensive organisation skills and drive to get in front of every ball, Derrick Williams is rapidly becoming my favourite player. Williams makes use of all of his experience to simply be in the right place at the right time, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that having Williams by his side makes Finley Burns appear more assured and composed, particularly when attempting to play the ball out from the back.
Lewis Wing is used a bit more forward as a result of the two center-backs’ mutual confidence. There were indications that Wing was content to move forward to receive the ball rather than pick it up in our own box, even though it wasn’t noticeable for the entire ninety minutes against Port Vale. Even though it wasn’t Ben Elliott’s best performance in a Reading shirt, his early arrival usually gives us a stronger attack going forward, and his ability to rush at and past men makes us appear dangerous whenever he’s on the pitch.
Elliott also improves our midfield’s balance since he is astute enough to know when to press forward and when to sit back and maintain structure, which keeps large gaps from showing up in midfield areas. Then there is Daniel Kyerewaa, who is dynamic, erratic, and constantly trying to make things happen but frequently producing no results. Since I think Kyerewaa may be a major factor for us this season and he demonstrated against Port Vale that he is willing to commit opposing players and make things happen moving forward, I have listed him as one of my positives for the game.
He easily dribbled by two Port Vale challenges during one of the first half’s attacks, which made me think of Jimmy Kebe, but regrettably, the last pass went missing once more. I really think we have a unique player if Kyerewaa can improve his delivery, but perhaps his inability to play a final ball keeps him in League One rather than a major European league. Kyerewaa’s assist on Paddy Lane’s goal, which was maybe the greatest missed pass you will ever witness, also made me giggle.
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