Reading 1-3 Crystal Palace: Two free kick goals, a penalty, and a red card – and it’s only pre-season

Reading lose their final pre-season friendly in a four goal entertainer to a youthful Crystal Palace side.

The two biggest talking points pre-match at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, that Kadeem Harris had been taken on trial by Reading and Wilfred Zaha was still nowhere to be seen for Palace, were all but forgotten by the half hour mark.

A slightly overhit pass by the Eagles’ number one Vincente Guaita slid away from Cheikhou Kouyate, today deployed at centre back, and the Senegalese defender reacted late. Ovie Ejaria picked up the ball just as Kouyate lunged into a diving challenge on Reading’s attacking midfielder, prompting referee David Coote to draw the red card from his pocket.

Whether Kouyate’s challenge was red card worthy is up for debate. The challenge was late, and the initial reaction on the press gantry was that the Kouyate had deserved his sending off. However, upon a replay, Coote’s decision became more debateable, with some questioning whether it was necessary to send a player off in pre-season for what was not necessarily an aggressive challenge, just a mistimed one.

That being said, Kouyate would likely have seen red in a Premier League match.

Palace’s red card epitomised the first half. Error strewn and scrappy, neither side quite managed to get into a rhythm. Palace, playing a 4-3-3 with Jordan Ayew and 19-year-old Robert Street playing either side of Jean-Phillipe Mateta, looked somewhat dangerous on the break. Ayew himself was undoubtedly Palace’s main man for much of the 90 minutes, forcing a good save from Rafael around 15 minutes.

Palace mainly threatened down Ayew’s flank in the first half, although post-the sending off, the momentum somewhat swung to the home side. Lucas Joao, making his first pre-season appearance start at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, keenly pressed both Guaita and the Palace defence. Femi Azeez and Andy Yiadom achieved a few promising combinations down the right flank, and Ejaria looked tidy on the opposite wing.

Both sides emerged from the break with a new-found energy.

The game suddenly became much more fluid, and both sides began a game of footballing pinball with each counter attack being counter attacked. Reading looked the more likely to score, until referee Coote decided he’d grown bored of not being the centre of attention.

Street smashed a volley against Rafael’s far post from the top of the box after a scramble from a free kick, and the resulting cross from the clearance saw two Palace men go down. Mateta took the ball, and confidently dispatched from 12 yards in front of the travelling fans.

Reading equalised just after the hour mark through a hugely deflected John Swift free-kick, wrongfooting Guaita. Reading, with trialist Kadeem Harris now on the left wing, tried to capitalise on their new-found momentum. However, Patrick Vieira’s side stifled every attack, staying sturdy and structured in defence with Ayew and Street ready to pounce on any counter attack.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Following an interception from debutant Conor Gallagher, Ayew steamrolled through the Reading half and unleashed a rocket towards Rafael. The ball took a huge ricochet, and smashed the back of the net to put Palace back in the lead. By the last ten minutes, a somewhat makeshift Reading side looked tired. Conceding a free kick in added time, youngster Scott Banks made it two in two in pre-season, firing into the top corner from the edge of the Reading box.

Whilst the game itself wasn’t much of a technical spectacle, the talking points – from a footballing point of view – are ample when it comes to tactics.

Reading manager Veljko Paunovic labelled his side’s performance a ‘failure’ when talking to Berkshire Live. Technically, Reading were poor. The Royals just didn’t seem quite there in terms of mental and physical capacity, despite showing energy in spells.

Paunovic started the game with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation – one that generally proved effective in Reading’s ‘oh so nearly’ Play-Off campaign last season. Youngster Femi Azeez and Ovie Ejaria started on either wing, with John Swift as the ten and Lucas Joao leading the line alone.

The problem that Reading face playing a 4-2-3-1 is that, in its nature, the formation requires dynamic, powerful wingers. Wide play is a key aspect of the set up, and the one area in which Reading are especially lacking (apart from left back), is on the wings. Harris was a welcome trialist to Reading fans, but didn’t set the world alight in his 30 minute cameo. Ejaria, for all Paunovic perhaps wants him to be, is not a winger.

The status of Reading’s transfer embargo is still murky, and the Royals are yet to make a signing this transfer window. Kyle Edwards, previously of West Brom, could not reach a deal with Reading despite trialling for some weeks over this summer, and should Harris end up signing, he will be the only senior ‘out and out’ winger the club have until Yakou Meite returns from injury – likely in the new year.

Number ten John Swift is particularly injury prone, and should Ejaria have to fill in there, Reading will be back to square one on the wings. A similar principle could be applied to any attacking injury. The question is, what’s the point in playing a ‘wing play’ style with a lack of wide players?

It could be argued that Paunovic should instead try to play a 4-3-1-2. This would maximise the options Reading have available to them. Andy Rinomhota and Josh Laurent can both play ball-winning midfielder or box-to-box midfielder roles, and Swift is particularly suited to a deeper playmaking role. Ejaria can fill in as the ten, with Lucas Joao and George Puscas playing off each other up front.

Patrick Vieira’s youthful Crystal Palace side weren’t particularly impressive on the ball, but their game management was spot on.

It’s difficult to predict how Crystal Palace will do this season. The jury have not sat for long enough to deliberate Vieira’s appointment, which might seem left field to some. That being said, Palace’s pre-season results have been adequate, if not a little underwhelming, so far.

The status of Wilfred Zaha will undoubtedly play a big part in any side Vieira fields this season. Neither Michael Olise nor Joachim Andersen were in the Palace squad today, but they still put in a workmanlike performance against a decent Reading side. Defensively, Palace look sorted – and Andersen will only make them more solid.

Marc Guehi put in an admirable display, and Tyrick Mitchell contained virtually all Reading threats down the away side’s left flank. Joel Ward, as per usual, is a solid and experienced option; likewise with James Tomkins.

Palace seemed to get a little muddled in midfield, but Kouyate’s sending off would have contributed to this with the Eagles not being able to be as expressive in the middle of the park. Conor Gallagher looked bright when he came on, and alongside Michael Olise, will undoubtedly unlock some potential in midfield.

It seemed as if Vieira set the Palace side up in two blocks, rather than thirds, after Kouyate’s sending off. Tomkins’ introduction was a natural reaction to going down to ten men, but it created balance within the away side. Pace and power up front matched the almost forced abandonment of any possession football, but it’s good to see that Palace can adapt to unforeseen circumstances tactically.

All things considered, Patrick Vieira’s new-look Crystal Palace side put in a professional performance against a Reading side who are missing key pieces of the jigsaw. The Royals didn’t play badly, but it’s difficult to see the Royals getting anywhere near the top six this season – especially when injuries inevitably kick in. Paunovic’s hands seem to be tied at the moment regarding transfers, and the future seems uncertain for Reading as a club.

The season proper looms for Reading away at Stoke next Saturday, and it’s very difficult to make any sort of credible prediction, let alone a positive one, given the Royals’ circumstances.

The return of fans has brought with it the beauty of degrading chanting from home to away fans, and vice versa. The Palace fans took great pride in chanting ‘we are Premier League’, with ‘Premier League, you’re having a laugh’ of course the only viable response from Reading’s Club 1871. Based on today’s game, both sides have work to do if either are to be playing Premier League football this time next year…

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