Strong Team for Reading

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I’m currently sat in the Jumeirah Beach Hotel having a look round for one of our owners, but as I can’t see either of them I thought I may as well post my opinion on tonight’s game.

Firstly, the team news is positive. A strong line-up but young right-back Steven Darby, who has showed promising signs, is getting a start in what is a major game in our season. Looking at the line-up it seems as though Rafa has opted for a 4-4-2  formation, dropping Steven Gerrard back into the middle.

Whilst I’m not too confident of our ability to play 4-4-2, especially after Robbie Keane and Fernando Torres failed to work well together, it’s good to see that we’re trying something different to see how it works out. I’m a huge fan of young French forward David N’gog who always seems to have a positive contribution every time e puts on a red shirt. Steven Gerrard being back in the middle is also a good sign, for me Stevie’s best position is sitting in the middle of the park, not as a holding midfield player but as a forward going one attacking from a deeper position.

We clearly need to take this competition seriously, with only the Europa League up for grabs apart from the FA Cup a win against Reading is crucial. With this team selection Rafa has shown that he is commited to winning the trophy for an eighth time but is also willing to try new things and give younger players a chance against weakened opposition.

I predict a comfortable win for the Reds.

M. Owen
Michael@empireofthekop.com