Swansea 2-3 Reading FC: Every word from Paunovic after big win

On a hugely important win...

It was a very difficult match against a very difficult side. Swansea are capable of keeping the ball but not only that, creating opportunities in the final third. Their consistency made the game more difficult for us, especially since we are a team that likes to have the ball. And today the ball was taken away from us. But we were prepared for that and we had a plan and a defensive structure. The physical output and attitude was perfect.

The team performance brought us this great result in a very important moment not only for this team in this season but for the club’s history. I think given the circumstances that we have, the injuries - a lot of injuries - and the recent points deduction...with that we said ‘we need a win as soon as possible’. Unfortunately, it came as the last game of the week where we had three games but it’s well-received, it’s on time. We needed guys like Drinkwater, Andy Carroll to have a performance like this and score goals to boost their confidence and most importantly to create the atmosphere for the team: of cohesion and to build momentum for us.

On the spirit to twice come back from Swansea goals…

I think we gave a statement today. That we are never going to give up and that we are all in this together. And we are going to fight. Another positive is that this team in the past, years before I came here, I was told had a difficulty to come back when we concede first. But this year that changed. And it just shows that the changes we’ve made and the new personnel are capable of dealing with difficulty and adversity and that’s a huge strength for the team that we can rely on moving into the next part of the season. Very grateful to the players for the output today and the performance.

Reading celebrate going ahead 3-2. Image by: JasonPIX.

On Andy Carroll and Danny Drinkwater’s performances…

They are very important with their experience, with their presence, their composure, and quality. We can see how for us, in this game, which was a completely different game from what we are used to playing. As I said we need to have the ball, we need Swifty on the ball, we need Drinkwater on the ball. All our players like to have the ball but today it was taken away from us. What are you going to do about it? You have to adjust, you have to have a Plan B. And with them on the field that’s not a shock for us, that’s not a trauma, it’s ‘okay, we can deal with this.’ We have a structure behind the ball, close the passes between the lines, look to win the ball back, and fire a counter-attack. That worked for us, we had a plan and it’s great to see the capability of our players. The second goal, it’s an immediate instinctive reaction from Drinkwater to play the ball. Great meg from Halilovic, Drinkwater plays it behind, and Andy’s right on the edge and scores the goal.

On what Carroll brings to the team…

We can now play the ball long, we have an alternative in our game. He has a presence in the box, our crosses now are more purposeful, and more dangerous. Because we know that he is someone that can affect any of the balls we play either behind or into the box.

On Carroll’s short-term contract…

It’s something that was good for both, but with everything we are dealing with, the embargo and the points deduction, that’s the best we could do in that moment and he understands that. Although if we could we would commit on a longer-term, not only with him but with other players as well, because we players need to know where they’re going to be for a long time and so they can build their future on that. This is something we have to keep working on and we can solve that soon because we have to.

Andy Carroll powers home his first Reading goal. Image by: JasonPIX.

On building momentum…

I think that was great cohesion today between the players, the whole group, and the fans who came in great numbers today. We are very thankful for that and very thankful for their support which in crucial moments was very important. How do we build momentum? I think with players coming back from injury, for the first time this season to possibly have the whole team together. It’s an organic situation where we can recover the guys and just use the great feeling that this win propels towards the future - the statement in this week was very important. I told the players after the decision was made about the points deduction that this week everyone’s going to look at us. We need to win as soon as possible and we need to make a statement. And I think we achieved that goal with this game. And now we have to build the momentum for the team so we can catch up with further teams up the table.

On reacting from Tuesday’s defeat…

I know my team and I’ve been here long enough to know what to expect from the team. All midweek games, with a small group, affects our performance. And playing against a team like Sheffield United who are also in a situation where they have to fight for their goals, but they had much more depth. You can’t play fresh legs without affecting the team and that’s a difficulty we’ve had to deal with. And even with that, even with a small squad, we conceded a goal that was avoidable and we could’ve at least gotten a 0-0 or drawn the game late with a few half-opportunities. But the midweek games are always crucial for us, when we get a result in midweek games it’s a great relief. But today we had Andy, Halilovic, Dele-Bashiru, and Femi coming off the bench with fresh legs.

On the absences of Liam Moore and Ovie Ejaria…

That’s an example of how hard it is for the players, how much fatigue, and the risk of injury they accumulate. Unfortunately, it’s soft tissue injuries, we expect them to be back soon. We’ll know much more (about their injuries) with how much they progress in the coming week which is going to be a full week of training and recovery. It’s not that bad. We’ll stay positive, focused, and hopefully, we can recover more players this week.

On Andy Carroll’s goal celebration…

You should ask them (the players). It’s a great story!