LEEDS’ UGLY LESSON IS ONE FOR ROYAL FAMILY TO PONDER
I WAS at the Madejski in midweek to watch Reading get cut to ribbons by a Leeds side who were simply too good for them. With ‘Spygate’ still fresh in the memory, it was ironic Reading ran through their warm-up with their starting XI in their team shape of 1-42-3-1 in full view of the Leeds staff who watched on with a perfect view of how Reading would operate with the ball - and they didn’t have to hide behind a bush to do so! Reading played out from the goalkeeper and via the defenders into midfield and so on with a clear emphasis on their shape with the ball. I then looked at Leeds, who played possession 5v5 plus one player who played for the team in possession, and the difference was stark. Leeds’ warm-up meant there was a constant transition, so the team out of possession pressed furiously to win the ball back before trying to then keep it. I remember the current AFC Wimbledon manager Wally Downes saying it was ‘warm-up not wear out’ and there is some truth in that, and maybe warm-ups are a precursor to how the game will go or maybe not. However, I know some sides just seem to worry about what they do with the ball. Fulham, this season in the Premier League, spring to mind and I would add Reading to that list. Leeds, though, know that football is also about the transition and the turnover. Therefore for sides like Reading, maybe a little more focus needs to be on winning the ball back aggressively, getting tight to players, forcing errors and making blocks. The so-called ‘ugly side of the game’ is also crucial to success, as Leeds have shown on so many occasions this season.