Reading fell to the bottom of League One after surrendering a two-goal advantage to lose 3-2 against Portsmouth.

Here is reaction from manager Ruben Selles.

Selles on the match

We made some adjustments in the way we played, we knew that it would be advantageous to have two eights and they ended up scoring both goals. We were not capable of keeping the lead. At 2-1 we had an amazing opportunity to go 3-1 but it happens, as has been happening to us lately, that we don’t put the ball in the net. The second half started with 50-50 situations, but we conceded and threw control of the game. We had situations to equalise, but we didn’t. I think the performance was there, but we need to be more robust. We were competitive against one of the best teams in the category, but we need more.

Selles on the formation change

We had seen that Portsmouth are quite direct in their processes and today we expected that. They had more possession when we were 2-0 but we needed one more man in the middle of the pitch to make our defenders more comfortable and get the second chances.

Selles on improvements

It’s in both ends really. We need to defend better the crosses that cost us the goals, but I think we create enough situations to get us goals. Sometimes we speak about quality chances, but I think we have in the last few games, but we need to be more ruthless. Mistakes can happen but we’ve had a lot of mistakes already. We cannot keep doing it.

Selles on conceding before half-time

It passed the time, and we should just get a good clearance in that action and get it over, but we didn’t, and it changed the entire mode of the team.

Selles on regular use of formation change

We can manage to use the 433 but also combine with other formations we have. We have players who can play both and we feel comfortable, we just need to continue developing that so we can go one way or the other.

Selles on Mbengue red card

I didn’t see what happened, but I took him out because he was getting a lot of people involved. I saw him in the centre, so I took him out and the referee gave him a red card. Apparently, he did something in that moment. I didn’t watch it because our tape is until the moment before it happened so I cannot judge it. We need to be better than that. We cannot make stupidities. It will be three games and the last thing we need is another player outside the game for three games without it being for a competitive reason.

Selles on dropping Nelson Abbey

We knew that they would come quite direct, especially finding their striker against our left centre-back. That is why I put Tyler Bindon there, to deal with him. Tyler is keeping the line in a different way so today we thought it was the way we were going to approach it. It doesn’t mean that we don’t count on Nelson or count him as an important player. He will play a lot of games for us; it is just some decisions that we make.

Selles on tennis ball protest

I will not make that excuse.

Selles on being bottom of the league

We still have two games less than a lot of teams and we know that a lot of things happen. Our performances have not been bottom of the league, but I know we are. We perform to take more points. I think we had them but they took our points because of the financial issues. It is the mix of everything that has sent us in that situation but there is only one group of players that can reverse it. It's on us.