DUTCH defender Joey Van den Berg believes there is plenty more to come from Reading FC despite their perfect start to the season.

Royals beat Preston North End 1-0 on Saturday before cruising into the second round of the EFL Cup on Tuesday with a 2-0 success at home to Plymouth Argyle.

In both games they were utterly dominant in the first half – having 82 per cent possession against Preston and 77 per cent on Tuesday – but they have struggled to repeat those standards after the break.

And Van den Berg told the Chronicle producing a 90-minute performance is the next stage in his side’s development.

He admitted: “It is easy to play and move the ball around in the first half and we haven’t let the opponent touch the ball.

“In the second half of both games we didn’t keep on playing how we did in the first half and we did different things.

“That’s the main reason why there’s a big difference between the first and second half.”

He continued: “Keeping the ball is how we want to play and how the manager wants to play and I think we’re doing that pretty well. When you do that you create chances and that’s the main thing about keeping the ball.

“In the second half it’s a little more difficult as they have pressed a little bit more, but if they keep pressing higher and with higher intensity we have to keep moving the ball around and not get selfish. We must keep giving each other the ball and spaces will open up.”

Jaap Stam’s decision to pick Van den Berg at centre half has been one of the clearest indications of the style of play he wishes to use, with the former midfielder comfortable on the ball as Royals build from the back in both his outings so far.

But he added: “I feel pressure when they come running to me but I try to stay calm and keep in possession because spaces will open up eventually.

“Sometimes maybe it’s too much of a risk but you need to try something to get your midfielders on the ball to open up space for the strikers.

“That will only come if you wait long enough for them to react.”

Van den Berg’s (pictured centre) dream start to his Royals career continued on Tuesday when he opened the scoring, with his fellow Dutchman Roy Beerens adding the other before the break.

And Van den Berg said: “It was good to score a goal, my first one, and Roy scored the second. When you come from the same country you speak the same language so it’s obviously an advantage we have.”

After a couple of years of disappointment, there is now a wave of optimism swirling around Madejski Stadium following Reading’s encouraging start, but Van den Berg has issued a warning ahead of tough trips to Wolves (Saturday, 3pm) and north-east giants Newcastle United (Wednesday, 7.45pm) in the coming week.

He told the Chronicle: “(Playing these games) will be great. I’m not sure what to expect but we’ll try to do the same thing and play our game.

“I don’t know how it was last year so I’m not influenced by that, I see only how it’s going now.

“From both games so far we can learn a lot from how we did it in the first half and how not to do it in the second half. We need to realise that and learn the lesson.

“There will be some down moments and we’ll have to see how we react but at the moment it’s good. So far I have no regrets of coming to England.”