Reading boss Paul Ince is keen to see his side retain possession better and put games to bed, speaking to Berkshire Live.

Six of the Royals' nine league victories have come via a one-goal margin this term, with the Berkshire outfit's ability to come out on top in close games paying dividends for them during the early stages of the 2022/23 campaign.

Even in one of the games where they won more comfortably on paper, they only scored their second goal in the third minute of stoppage time in a 2-0 victory against Bristol City.

 

 

Nigel Pearson's side had turned up the heat in the final third during the latter stages of that clash at the Select Car Leasing Stadium - but were unable to break the Royals' resistance as the hosts went up the other end and ensured the visitors wouldn't leave Berkshire with a point.

Keeping just two clean sheets in their past 11 league games, Ince's side may not want to rely on their defence to see out close games anymore and the former England international is keen to see his team secure more convincing victories.

He also wants his side to take better care of the ball, saying: "I like us to keep the ball a bit better at times and it would be nice where we could put a game to bed. Every game seems to be like a heart attack, going down to the 94th or 95 minute and you're hanging on.

"And as individuals, we all want to improve and go forward but we know it's a tough league and we want to hit the ground running like we did at the start of the season."

The Verdict:

If they can retain possession better, it should allow them to reduce pressure on their defence and that will only help them as they look to minimise the goals they concede between now and the end of the season.

The returns of Naby Sarr, Sam Hutchinson and Liam Moore should also help their cause, although it's currently unclear how long the quartet will stay fit for with the latter two's questionable injury records.

Sarr, meanwhile, has taken longer to recover from his setback than some expected so he will need to be eased back into action rather than being thrown straight in again, something that's easier said than done considering their lack of fit options in central defence.

In terms of them needing to be more ruthless, Ince is right. Unfortunately, the Royals didn't show anywhere near enough quality in the final third in their recent games before the international break.

That will prevent them from claiming more comfortable victories - and this lack of quality is particularly concerning considering they had most of their attacking options available to them.