Stam ‘very disappointed’ as Reading slip to yet another home defeat
Posted Sunday, February 04, 2018 by PA
Reading manager Jaap Stam urged his players to be more patient in their decision-making as they lost 2-0 to Millwall – their fourth successive home defeat in the Championship.
After failing to fashion a single shot in the first half – Millwall had 10 efforts on goal, three on target – Reading gradually improved after the break.
However, Millwall were lethal on the counter-attack, breaking through in the 70th minute when substitute Mahlon Romeo’s drive was deflected into his own net by Reading defender Leandro Bacuna.
Three minutes later, Lee Gregory tucked in from an acute angle from Steve Morison’s pass.
“I’m very disappointed,” Stam said. “Not that we thought that we could win a game like this easily.
“We knew that Millwall had a physical team that would play in a certain way and make it difficult for us and, basically, for every team in the Championship.
“But we didn’t create enough of what we could’ve done in the first half, in terms of making choices on the ball and in our passing.
“At times, we made the decisions to play quite straightforward and direct. By doing that, it made it difficult to keep possession and play.
“Millwall were very strong in the one-v-ones, like when heading balls straight back to you. And the second balls as well.
“It was difficult to get into our rhythm.
“But it was still 0-0 at half-time and we spoke about what we could change and what we needed to do.
“We started the second half well, but then they scored their first goal from a deflection.
“Then they get the second goal a few minutes later and, at 2-0 down, it’s very hard to come back into it.”
Millwall stretched their unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions.
“It was a very dominant display,” manager Neil Harris said. “Without the ball, we were very impressive. We were disciplined and organised.
“And with the ball, I thought we made really good decisions. You’ve got to be disciplined and concentration is always key.
“You’ve got to be focused on what you’re trying to achieve and today it was always about realising where the space was going to be on the pitch.
“We spoke about that in depth with the players over the last 48 hours and I thought that we were excellent.
“We should have been in front at half-time. We were a threat not just from open play, but from set-pieces as well.
“I was pleased to get the two goals in the second half, two very different goals, but it was a really good day’s work.
“It was a great day for our club today and our fans were different class.”
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