Surprised to see that Reading FC are 6th in the form table with W3 D1 L2
Their two defeats are against Brentford and Derby who are currently top and second in the form table..
Somehow or other we are 5th rated in the league?
6.86 Brentford
6.83 Leeds
6.79 WBA
6.76 Forest
6.74 Reading
I tend to think of us as “not scoring enough goals” yet we are fifth for shots per game, fifth for shots on target, and 7th/8th for goals scored. Our top three scoring strikers all have a very decent goals per minute rating.
Strikes me that if Joao could play 40 games with Puscas off him and Meite RW we would be a serious attacking force. Tuesday’s game is our 49th, so we’ve played 4,320 minutes not including injury time or extra times.
So none of our strikers has played a huge percentage of available minutes. Meite 68%, Puscas 57%, Joao 27%, Balcdock under 24%
If we can find “the” partnership and keep both players fit, we should score significantly more goals.
20-00-00 (20) 07-00-00 (07) 1,199 Minutes – 07 Goals 171 Mins per Goal, 4 Assists – Joao
35-03-02 (40) 12-02-02 (16) 2,973 Minutes – 16 Goals 186 Mins per Goal, 2 Assists – Meite
33-02-03 (37) 10-01-01 (12) 2,479 Minutes – 12 Goals 207 Mins per Goal, 3 Assists – Puscas
21-02-02 (25) 04-01-00 (05) 1,025 Minutes – 05 Goals 234 Mins per Goal, 5 Assists – Baldock
Joao’s plusses are he’s easily best at leading the line, and has goals per minute is VG
Against, he’s probably expensive, and he is struggling with injuries
Meite does VG work assisting the defence, occasionally terrorises a fullback. He’s one of the few in the team that has real power. Isn’t he also on quite low wages and a long contract?
Alleged negatives are a poor first touch and not the greatest football brain…
I say “alleged” because sometimes he looks really rough then will do something really cool and his stats are mounting. His four goals v Luton were VERY well taken, all well-placed. Even the one that was kicked off the line was a decent shot on the floor.
Surprised he is only 24, so lots of improvement in him yet.
Puscas is doing really well for a first season in the Championship. Also, he has rarely been played to his strengths.
Like Meite, he is only just 24 and should improve a lot next season if he stays because: (1) Maturity (2) Understanding the Championship better (3) Being utilised properly.
IMO if he played with a fit Joao or a takes-the-hits player like Long or Hunt he could comfortably get 20+ goals.
Baldock is now 31. For 4th-choice, his stats aren’t bad, but I would guess he isn’t cheap
Oh, and Ejaria as the mani attacking midfielder please