VITO MANNONE insists Reading are not far from getting back to winning ways.
The Royals head to Elland Road to face Leeds United tomorrow on the back of a run of six matches without a victory.
The run has seen Reading tumble down the Championship table with just nine points from their 10 games so far.
However, Mannone says there is not much wrong with the way the side are approaching games.
“Some games we came close, but it was not enough,” said the goalkeeper.
“Certain details changed the game, but I believe we haven’t been far from it in certain games.
“Some of them we didn’t perform well but some others we did and didn’t score enough and, unfortunately for me, didn’t keep enough clean sheets.
“We’re always conceding in the last five or 10 minutes, which is horrible.
“But it’s changed the perspective of it because it changed the game, changed the points and you come out with a draw or a loss when you are supposed to win.”
He continued: “It’s down to us.
“We need to take our opportunities, play a bit better because we can always improve and play the football we want to play.
“I don’t think we need to change anything, we just need to improve it and get back to what this team achieved last year.
“Since I’ve been here I’ve been very impressed with the way of football, the ideas and what we want to achieve is something great.
“You have to be patient and believe in it.
“If we do, we’re going to be a very, very good team which plays football and hopefully outplays the opponents. But it hasn’t fully happened yet.
“There hasn’t been a game where we’ve been outplayed.
“We need to improve our pace in possession because we’ve been slow and predictable. We are not far away.”
Mannone arrived from Sunderland in the summer to replace the outgoing player of the season, Ali Al-Habsi.
And the Italian stopper says his target has not changed despite the poor start.
“The basics are there,” he said.
“We just need to keep believing. It’s a long season.
“Fans are thinking it’s a bad start, but we have played 10 games and there are still 36 to go.
“We are not where we expected to be and we are not happy with it, but we just need to be positive and turn it around.”
He added: “I believe it’s a great set-up here.
“It has a great ambition and potential and I believed it from day one.
“I didn’t change my mind because a few results have gone wrong.
“I came here for promotion and I still believe we can get it.”
Jaap Stam has a number of selection headaches for the trip to Yorkshire.
Jordan Obita has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee injury while another key cog from last season in Yann Kermorgant (hip) is still not quite ready for a return.
John Swift (hamstring) is also unlikely to be risked for the weekend while Stephen Quinn (knee), Joseph Mendes (knee), Tennai Watson (fitness) and Callum Harriott (hamstring) are all unavailable.
And Stam feels facing Leeds gives Reading the perfect opportunity to put things right.
“These games are always intense,” said the boss.
“Leeds have got a good team, big crowd, packed stadium and pressure on them as well because they have had two losses in a row.
“But they’re doing OK. They’re playing a bit different to how they did last season, so it’s going to be an interesting afternoon.
“It can give us that lift if you get a result over there and it can change everything if you win.”
