Birmingham City 1-1 Reading: Player Ratings
Ross' grades from an impressive opening-day display in the West Midlands.
Joel Pereira: 6
Not asked to do much other than watch in the opening stages, and didn’t do anything too dangerous with his feet when called upon. Made his first save on the 27 minute mark, diving down well to his low left to smother a bouncing ball.
Tested more in the second half as Birmingham searched for an opener. Could have cost Reading when he dived on what was almost certainly a backpass from Mbengue, but was given a let off by the referee.
Went the wrong way for Alfie May’s equalising penalty, but made a fantastic save from the last real testing shot of the game, diving far to his left side to turn it away with two strong hands.
Michael Craig: 7
Often given the responsibility today of being the furthest player back at set plays, showing the trust put in him despite him being in an “unfamiliar” position.
Steady in the early stages, and able to step forward and interlink with Wing, Camara, and Elliott well. Performed his best Yiadom impression at times, earning Reading several free kicks to calm danger in the backline by getting his body in front of the ball.
Was often found in the middle of the field with Wing, and stepped in well to win the ball in that spot when Reading found their opening goal late in the first half. Got forward really well late in the first half and delivered a fantastic low cross into the six-yard box that Smith couldn’t quite turn home.
Continued to show agility, winning the ball and important free kicks for Reading well into the final moments of the game.
I will not mention that I made a (deliberately outlandish) prediction this week that Michael Craig would win Reading POTS from right back...
Amadou Mbengue: 8
Did very well to sensibly defend the shooting lane when Elliot made an early mistake. Held the depth of the backline on the left side when Reading had a lot of possession in the first half and stepped in well to reclaim possession a few times. For a man sent off from the bench last season, Mbengue has become remarkably cool when needed.
Alert to balls over the top and into the box when he needed to be in the second half. Smacked the ball clear from one searching cross into the box when Reading looked as though their organised defence had been prized apart midway through the second half. Started the final quarter of the game by similarly stepping out of the backline to smack it well clear of the halfway line.
Tyler Bindon: 6
Back from his Olympic exploits having missed preseason, but straight back into the team. Immediately did well to get a crucial block away. Has become a real asset in the air, and is often used to make life difficult for the goalkeeper at set plays. This was shown early on when he bundled into Peacock Farrell a little too industrially for the resulting goal to count.
Moves the ball so calmly at the back in situations in which the ball has just been recovered, often being the Reading player who’s able to break the press and find the player in space.
Made a crucial interception just after the hour mark to prevent Birmingham from slipping free in the box when Reading were stretched.
Jeriel Dorsett: 6
Dorsett arrived back from injury in the nick of time to begin the season and started as he finished the last, winning a one-v-one and then stepping forward well to intercept and deliver the ball forward.
Showed sharpness when returning from injury, at one point being beaten down the wing by Laird but managing to recover with his pace against the also speedy Birmingham player.
Replaced midway through the first half by Abrefa without having done much wrong.
Lewis Wing: 7
Helped anchor the press in the middle of the pitch, but got himself booked midway through the first half when he mistimed his tackle and ruggedly took down Dembele.
Received the ball just outside of the box on the half hour mark and did well to shake the defender blocking this way, but couldn’t find a shot to trouble the keeper.
Found a typically crucial contribution late in the first half when he cleaned up a loose ball in midfield that Craig had won, and played the ball forward ruthlessly for Kelvin to link onto and score.
Played a fantastic ball forward early in the first half that should have resulted in a goal, but Kelvin had strayed just offside.
Really benefits from having Craig in the RB spot drifting into midfield, with the pair having such a good understanding potentially built up by the time they spent as a midfield pair last season.
Gave away Birmingham’s equalising penalty moving a tucked elbow into the ball as it entered the box. Look, I could potentially argue it was a little harsh, but the referee also turned down a clear backpass to Pereira into the box, so… swings and roundabouts.
Overall, this was more the same from Wing and his connection with Craig really helps Reading to stay calm and minimise shaky moments when playing out.
Ben Elliott: 7
Has rightfully earned his place in the team to start the season, and likely did enough during this game to keep it for a while to come. That said, he almost made a crucial error in the opening minutes as he gave the ball away in a dangerous position. Shortly after he tracked back well to make an important defensive contribution and went on to have a fantastic half.
Made several good interceptions in the Birmingham half in the first half, allowing the team to get to the edge of the box. Made one particularly good contribution just after the half hour mark, winning the ball then drawing three players near before offloading it into the box.
Drove fantastically into the Birmingham half shortly after, springing Knibbs for the chance to deliver into a panicked box. Found Craig inside the Brum box to make a dangerous delivery shortly after.
Quieter in the second half and eventually withdrawn but can be Reading’s most consequential player in spells of a game.
Harvey Knibbs: 7
Pressed really well all day and caused Birmingham all sorts of problems as they tried to settle into the game. Helped direct some tight early passing moves and had the ball in the back of the net within the first five minutes, but the whistle had already gone.
Part of a nice set piece routine that saw him deliver a teasing ball to the back of the six-yard box and looked good in tight spaces throughout. Had a few good chances to shoot but couldn’t quite get a solid effort on goal today.
Won the ball back in a tight 50/50 along the sideline just before the 60 minute mark and did well to earn a corner from which he was unlucky to see a hard shot blocked. Came very close to giving away a penalty kick with 20 minutes to go when he caught his man from behind just outside of the box.
Was still running late into the game, blocking a dangerous cutback into the box in injury time.
Mamadi Camara: 6
The missing Femi Azeez was the biggest story for Reading fans in an otherwise reasonable starting lineup, so Camara had a lot to do from the get go.
Contributed well to the press and showed his understanding of the role that usually falls to Femi, pushing into the front two with Kelvin. Did really well to steal the ball away from an unsuspecting Brum player at one point and spring Smith on a dangerous attack
Quieter in the second half but did exceptionally well given he likely didn’t expect to start until very recently
Sam Smith: 6
Operating well in the centre forward spot, often slightly reserved due to his deeper pressing responsibilities this season. Helped move a dangerous counter attack forward to Ehibhatiomhan midway through the first half in one example of his ability to bring others into play.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan: 8
Alert throughout, often finding space. Made it all the way to the left byline and earned a corner in the opening stages.
Showed good alertness on a counter attack to keep the play moving and pass it on to Knibbs further out, who unfortunately couldn’t get the ball under control. Won a free kick back towards his own corner flag in an example of his tracking back in the first half.
A lot will be expected from Kelvin this year, so opening his account in the season’s first game can’t have hurt his confidence. Kelvin took the ball on the turn well and calmly felt the pressure from the last defender to slot the ball home underneath the keeper.
Started his second half well, jumping in to win the ball away from Birmgimham’s defence, and almost wriggle his way into the box. Had the ball in the back of the net for a second time with a good finish but had frustratingly strayed just offside when he didn’t need to.
Continued to track back deep into his own half, despite often being tasked with leading the press on the left side.
Subs
Kelvin Abrefa: 7
Made his return from injury on the hour mark, replacing Dorsett. Won his first footrace when the ball was put behind him on the left side and mostly helped Reading to stop the ball getting in behind on the left side of their box with some well timed steps and smart control of space.
Won all but one of his duels, and is capable of winning physically in the air and on the ground, despite his relatively small size. Plays the ball forward well on top of that, and is comfortable in tight spaces.
Charlie Savage: 6
Went over to the left side of midfield, and helped Abrefa defend, hooking the ball well clear shortly after coming on. Didn’t do much wrong in his time on the field and was mostly just asked to run off the ball and force Birmingham to go around the long way. Dawdled on the ball once but ran tirelessly.
Andre Garcia: 6
Replaced Mamadi Camara despite playing full back through preseason, as Reading looked to close out the game. Ran tirelessly at the head of the press when Reading were squeezed deep into their own half, and put Birmingham into the “hurry up” with his pace.
Will need to do better to recognize the situation in tight moments late though, as he had some chances to clear late in the game when he instead ran into trouble.
Jayden Wareham: N/A
Helped to win the ball back well a few times, but needs to make decisions more quickly when off the ball, at one point delaying too long during a chance to attack and seeing the chance fizzle out.
Average: 6.57/10
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