It was a disappointing afternoon for Reading on Saturday as they were downed 3-0 by a resurgent Stoke City side in the Sky Bet Championship.

The defeat to the Potters meant it was three consecutive league defeats for the Royals, and two 3-0 home defeats in a row, leaving Veljko Paunovic with plenty to mull over as we head into the international break.

Remarkably, the Berkshire outfit remain at the top of the Championship table by one point, after Swansea failed to pick up the required points to leapfrog the Royals in the weekend.

So, what did we learn about the Royals on the weekend? We take a look....

Liam Moore is missed, badly

All three of Stoke City's goals on Saturday came via defensive mishaps from the Royals.

Reading are currently without star centre-back Liam Moore and his absence is proving damaging for the club, as showcased in the Royals' last two defeats at the Madejski.

Tom McIntyre struggled against Preston's Emil Riis Jakobsen last week, whilst Lewis Gibson, despite looking comfortable on the ball, was found wanting at times in a positional sense at the back, and his scuffed back pass to Rafael allowed Jacob Brown to sweep in for Stoke's third.

Liam Moore's commanding presence and reliability is needed back urgently, and it's pretty evident to see that he's leaving a gaping void at present.

Of course, it's too early to dismiss or offer a distinct verdict on Lewis Gibson yet, but Saturday's match was a tough welcome to life in the Championship with the Royals.

The Lucas Joao x George Puscas partnership needs time

Paunovic opted for a Joao and Puscas duo up-front against Michael O'Neill's side, but it struggled to make a real impact.

Lucas Joao has undoubtedly been one of the Royals' standout stars this campaign and his influence and goals have played a major role in where Reading are in the current league table.

However, for Puscas, he's struggled to cement a starting berth this season and his performance on Saturday won't do his chances any good.

It was the first time the pair had started together for some time, and it showed.

It's a partnership that has the potential to thrive, we've seen how effective they both can be in the second tier, but time and patience is needed if this duo up-top is going to work effectively.

 

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Reading lack depth

It was clear from Saturday's display against Stoke that the side lack depth, of course injuries are not helping the cause, but there is a real lack of experience and game-changing ability on the bench.

Certainly in the wide areas, Reading have no real out-and-out wingers and it's a department that you feel Reading will look to bolster as soon as they can, whether that be in the free agent market or when the January transfer window kicks into action.

You just have to look at the Royals' subs bench on the weekend against Stoke and wonder who could really change the game in favour of the Royals?

You had Michael Olise who probably falls into that category, whilst Sone Aluko has shown flashes of brilliance but not enough to suggest he's the answer.