Arsenal coach identifies key reason for u18s defeat to Reading
Arsenal coach identifies key reason for u18s defeat to Reading The young Gunners improved after half-time and pulled one back through Louis Zecevic John, but Reading held on for a 2-1 win. Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images Adam Birchall said Arsenal Under-18s paid the price for a poor first half and a failure to use the ball intelligently enough in their 2-1 defeat to Reading . The young Gunners had been asked to follow up their 2-1 away win against West Ham by starting to build a more consistent run of results, but Birchall felt they gave themselves too much to do after a flat opening period.
Reading scored at the start of each half to take control of the scoreline, and although Louis Zecevic John pulled one back with an excellent finish in the 72nd minute, Arsenal could not find an equaliser. “I’m disappointed with both the first-half performance and, of course, the result,” Birchall said . “We challenged the players to build on the previous win and, as I’ve said in recent interviews, we want winning to become a habit.
In the first half, we found it really difficult. We improved a lot in the second half, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. “There were positives after the break, but overall we’re disappointed.
” The main issue, according to Birchall, was not effort or attitude, but the way Arsenal used their possession and built attacks. “I think it came down to how we used the ball,” Birchall said. “In the first half, we were far too vertical.
We played in straight lines and didn’t switch play across the back line enough, which meant we weren’t creating gaps in midfield. “When we started to move the ball better in the second half, you could really see the difference. Our goal summed that up perfectly, it was probably the best team goal we’ve scored this season.