After Reading lose to Charlton, Ruben Selles urges a “stronger mindset”

After Reading lose to Charlton, Ruben Selles urges a “stronger mindset”

Reading’s first hour of play was complimented by the manager, but he emphasized that his team needed to be “more strong in the mindset” because a second-half surrender led to a 4-0 loss.

Another Saturday, another away contest, and another loss—this time at The Valley to Charlton Athletic.

It was a challenging afternoon, and the home team emerged victorious with a score of 4-0. Reading is currently 23rd in League One, five points outside of safety, and we need change to advance.

 

Here is what manager Ruben Selles had to say when he spoke with the Reading Chronicle and the official club website.

Selles on the defeat

“They haven’t been strong enough away from home, so we came here hoping for a nice performance. We played the game we intended to play and demonstrated our abilities in the first half.

 

And we played well at the beginning of the second half; we had the game under control. We gave up a goal in one move, but after that, we kept collaborating to produce opportunities for an equalizer, which we did.

“However, we were unable to tie the score after being hit hard by the second goal and losing the game. We are in control of the game, on the verge of scoring to tie it up, and then they score a goal we might have easily prevented. And it is evident that disappointment.

 

“We demonstrated that we can compete against anyone during the first 60 minutes of the performance. And we knew exactly how we wanted to play—in possession, in movement, in applying pressure—and we came here, of course, to win.

But we are aware that it will take 100 minutes to produce. In both boxes, we must be more ruthless. And in order to ensure that we continue playing when things go against us, we need to be stronger.

Selles on the team capitulating

“I think it’s more that it keeps happening, where we are winning and coming back to tie it, but we give up out of a transition we can defend,” the player said. We can compete against anyone, as we witnessed in the opening 60 minutes.

Selles on the positives

“We came to this place with a definite purpose, and that clear purpose was in our possession and how we function under pressure. We needed to make adjustments at halftime, but we always enter stadiums with the intention of winning, and tonight was no different.

 

“Unfortunately, we should have been able to maintain more of a lead and play more ruthlessly in both boxes when we let up the second goal. We must develop and become more mentally resilient.

 

 

“We want to have better possession, more penetration, and more opportunities coming out of the form. The first 60 minutes are everything we want as a team: dynamic and aggressive under pressure. We need to be better in transition, though.

Selles on his system

The staff knows the relationships we need to have and feels at ease using that structure. Leyton Orient taught us that when we modified it, we lost several front-row opportunities, which made us have to defend low and deep. We don’t want it, so we reject it. The 4-2-2-2 feels natural to the players. I don’t believe that the formation has been a problem for us.

 

Selles on getting back on track

“Now is a good time to return home, play some of the games we missed due to the postponements during international week, and get some momentum.

 

We have been doing fine at home. The results and performances in the upcoming games are crucial because we need to feel the love of our fans. They have been amazing in all of our away games this season, and it will be good to play at home in front of our own people. It is a genuine chance to turn things around.

Selles on the fans

“The heart of every football club is its supporters. Whether we win or lose, we should thank our supporters. When you win, it is simple to approach them and express gratitude for their support; however, when you lose, as today, everyone is disappointed, it is a little more difficult.

 

“We must remain united when things aren’t going well. The supporters understand our struggles and are behind their team and these youngsters.

“They want to see a team that is fighting and competing and for periods of time today they saw that – but we know that the performance level needs to be for the full duration of the match and on a more consistent basis.”