With QPR looking a much-improved outfit towards the climax of last season, the expectation was that the West London side would kick on into the new campaign, however, they’ve failed to live up to the hype, currently sitting bottom of the league. The Hoops are currently five points adrift from safety, after only collecting ten points, from fifteen games. Here are some explanations for their tricky start. 

Investing in unknown qualities

One common trend across the Championship season is that multiple teams have invested in foreign talent across the summer transfer window, with clubs feeling there’s better value for money overseas, rather than in lower domestic leagues. QPR have been a pertinent example for recruiting overseas, as nine of their eleven summer signings came from foreign countries – illustrating their desire to scout various European markets. 

Although this could bring significant long-term rewards, those signings haven’t lived up to expectations in the short term – especially the attacking players. Only Swansea have scored fewer goals than QPR this season, as the London outfit has only accumulated 12 goals from 15 games, with FotMob ranking them 23rd for most goals per game. 

Two players who’ve particularly struggled to have an impact across QPR’s frontline are Žan Celar, and Japanese winger, Koki Saito. Across the campaign, those two individuals have only amassed two goal contributions, putting strain on the existing players to perform. One of those senior players across the frontline is Ilias Chair, with their dynamic dribbler yet to add any goal contributions across the season, leaving QPR struggling in the attacking third of the pitch. Despite Celar being a prolific scorer in Switzerland, his average FotMob rate have been underwhelming – performing at a 6.13 rating. 

Building attacks around Michael Frey

A common gameplan deployed by Cifuentes throughout the season is getting target-man, Michael Frey into the action, getting the ball from back to front rapidly. This has been reflected statistically, as according to FBref QPR have attempted the fifth most long passes in the division, playing into Frey’s hands superbly. 

Due to QPR’s home ground having an enclosed feeling, it’s a psychological boost for the Hoops to dominate proceedings early, as the fans are much closer to the action – making the atmosphere louder, and the pitch tighter. Therefore, this creates subsequent pressure for the opposition to contain, with constant direct balls aimed in behind. Due to Frey’s towering presence, he’s effective at pinning against central defenders successfully, bringing his other attacking teammates into play. 

Frey has played ten times this season, scoring three goals and assisting on one occasion, contributing to 25% of QPR’s goals. With Frey being unavailable since the 19th of October, QPR will need their talisman back for these crucial games before Christmas, as there’s an opportunity to close the gap between them and 21st place.

Exuberance of Karamoko Dembèlè

One player who’s consistently entertained the Loftus Road faithful throughout the season is Karamoko Dembèlè. The ex-Celtic prodigy has displayed fantastic dribbling qualities on the right-hand side, committing opposition defenders into awkward positions. 

Despite being injured, the direct winger has created 20 chances throughout the season, as stated by FotMob. This ranks him as one of the division’s best, highlighting his importance to a low-scoring QPR side. For Dembèlè to increase his G/A tally of four, he needs to establish a thriving relationship with his striker, as his ball manipulation during approach play is fantastic, meaning his final ball consistency needs to improve, as he’s regularly getting into promising positions. 

Volume of injuries

Despite QPR playing strong teams in their last few games, they’ve had key figures missing, as Jack Colback, Michael Frey, Karamoko Dembèlè, Kenneth Paal and Jake Clarke-Salter were all unavailable for their games against Middlesbrough & Leeds. With numerous of these individuals key players to Cifuentes’ side, results were always likely to drop off. 

Luckily for Rangers, most of these players will return after the international break, which will be a massive boost for the West London side.

Opportunity for points

QPR has a favourable run of fixtures in the coming weeks, with four of their next five games against bottom-half opposition, signifying the opportunity for Rangers to accumulate a significant volume of points. 

Although Cifuentes’ side aren’t strong home or away, they have three home games in their next five, against teams with weak away records.

Although the opportunity for QPR to pick up points is evident, it’ll put pressure on the returning players to hit the ground running, as there’s a lack of time for individuals to grow into contests, due to West London’s side league position. The positive for QPR is that the returning injured players are mostly experienced, with Michael Frey, Jack Colback, Jake Clarke-Salter & Kenneth Paal more likely to settle back into the starting eleven more comfortably, as they’ve had previous experiences to draw back upon. 

Conclusion 

Despite the Hoops suffering some poor defeats, there’s still overwhelming support for manager, Martì Cifuentes. Although Cifuentes is struggling to find coherent attacking formulas that produce goals for QPR, his impact across last season has earned him enough credit in the bank, which hopefully propel the togetherness around the club, enabling them to create a strong mentality to avoid relegation. 

Although QPR has struggled defensively in patches, the West London club is currently suffering from a lack of contributions from their new signings, as well as Illias Chair experiencing a lean spell of form. Their attacking overseas signings have showcased potential elsewhere in Europe. Still, the confidence of these players has significantly declined, resulting in QPR looking a blunt outfit in the final third. 

However, with multiple important fixtures coming up, it’s vitally important that everyone in the club unites, as their current situation is ominous. Players returning from injury will be instrumental for QPR, with only one victory needed to lift the mood significantly.