How can Veljko Paunovic arrest Reading’s slide down the Championship table?

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Tuesday night’s alarming 1-0 defeat against Championship basement club Wycombe Wanderers marked Reading’s fourth defeat from the club’s last five league games. With just one win from their last six league games, the early title race frontrunners are in danger of dropping out of the top six altogether.

There are multiple factors that have played a part in the Royals’ recent poor form, with injuries to key players, selection dilemmas and Veljko Paunovic’s 4-2-3-1 system all coming under the spotlight. In this piece, Prost International writer Harry Smith takes a look at where things need to change in Berkshire.

Time for two up top?

Veljko Paunovic has sworn by his favoured 4-2-3-1 system throughout his debut campaign in England and for large spells of the season, this system has worked as desired. Lucas Joao’s incredible goalscoring exploits have contributed greatly to Reading’s success this season, but as the season wears on, the weight of the expectations placed on the 27-year-old is clear to see.

The Portuguese frontman looked isolated up front against Wycombe and he was outshone by the more imposing figure of Uche Ikpeazu down the other end.

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George Puscas netted 14 goals for the Royals last season and is back fit after recovering from a succession of injuries. The Romanian can’t be relied on to lead the line alone, but a partnership with the more prolific Joao could prove fruitful.

Joao’s hold-up play is one of his biggest assets and his ability to drop deep, hold the ball up and play in between the lines would unlock the potential of both Puscas and the less prolific Sam Baldock, who has struggled in the lone striker role in his 16 overall appearances this season.

Of course, this would require a system change, which leads us to the next major dilemma Paunovic is facing:

Adapting to life without John Swift

John Swift has been an integral part of the Reading team since joining the club on a free transfer from Chelsea in 2016. The attacking midfielder is one of the most gifted playmakers in the division, but a reoccurring hamstring problem has hampered his impact this season.

The 25-year-old will miss the next five weeks of league action at a minimum and with wide target man Yakou Meite also sidelined, Paunovic has been forced to make compromises with regards to his midfield.

Technical marvels Michael Olise and Ovie Ejaria both excel in the number ten role, but with Meite sidelined and the ageing Sone Aluko out of favour, the pair have been restricted to less effective wide roles in recent months.

Paunovic has regularly looked to Alfa Semedo to deputise, much to the frustration of the Reading fan base. The Benfica loanee’s attributes are much better suited to the defensive midfield role that he excelled in during his time with Nottingham Forest.

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The solution

There is good evidence to suggest that a 3-4-1-2 system, in the mould of Steve Cooper’s high-flying Swansea is the way forward for Reading this season. In Liam Moore, Michael Morrison and Tom McIntyre, Paunovic has three dependable centre backs who are capable of playing the ball out from the back and while goalkeeper Rafael Cabral has come in for some criticism this season, the former Brazilian international clearly has the ability to excel at this level.

The full backs select themselves in this formation. Omar Richards looks destined to join German giants Bayern Munich and right back Andy Yiadom was one of the strongest attacking full backs in the division last season.

The pair are more than capable of getting forward to help the attack and boast the physical attributes to get back and cover the defence. Add Porto loanee, Tomas Esteves, into the mix and the Royals boast one of the strongest full back departments in the division.

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Few Championship sides can match the defensive cover offered by the hard-working double-pivot of Andy Rinomhota and Josh Laurent. The pair have missed just one league game combined this season and offer immense cover for the creative midfielder in front.

In Swift’s absence, Olise and Ejaria can be rotated in their favoured attacking midfield role, ensuring the pair remain fit in the build-up to what will hopefully amount to a playoff campaign.

This allows for George Puscas to return up top alongside Lucas Joao, with the option of replacing Puscas with the more physical Meite once he returns to the first team picture. In the first half of the season, Reading were hard to beat and dangerous going forward. That is no longer the case.

Tuesday night’s performance against Wycombe only served to highlight the issues that arise when players such as Tom Holmes and Andy Rinomhota are deployed in unfamiliar roles. Paunovic needs to make changes if the Royals are to cap off this outstanding season with a top-six finish.

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