Chamberlain’s brace helped Arsenal ease past Reading
#4 Strange tactics from the away side
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Reading were happy to sit back and invite Arsenal onto them
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Reading seemed to have lost the game even before the kickoff. Adopting a defensive mindset throughout, they did not venture forward even when they trailed 1-0. Content to sit back and absorb pressure, they created just 2 chances throughout the game out of which 1 was in stoppage time.
Teams that take the game to Arsenal and attack them from the outset are usually the ones that get a result. Liverpool did it brilliantly in the opening game of the Premier League and more recently, Swansea. Despite ending up on the losing side, they caused the Gunners’ defense plenty of problems in the latter stages.
Middlesbrough, as well, took the game to Arsenal and could've had a couple of goals on another day. Reading, however, seemed to be happy with a narrow defeat. Jaap Stam’s men hardly ever pressed the Gunners’ midfield high up the pitch and allowed the Arsenal players far too much time and space to pick out passes of their choice.
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About the author
Arvind Sriram
After a brief and undistinguished stint as an electrical engineer, Arvind discovered his true calling was churning out hyperbolic prose about athletes he had never met.
A writer and editor with close to a decade’s experience, Arvind’s work has been published on Sky Sports, the BBC, the Guardian and other leading websites. He has attended multiple Grand Slams on the ground and provided coverage for Super Bowls and the NBA playoffs.
As a lifelong fan of Arsenal and the Indianapolis Colts, he has mastered the art of managing expectations and can convince anyone that finishing fourth is a moral victory.
When not armchair quarterbacking, Arvind spends his time playing blitz chess online, watching air crash documentaries and smashing controllers after his latest Weekend League defeat.
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