A significant proportion of the 2012 summer
transfer window deadline day was spent with football fans talking about QPR's
new signings. So with so many well respected and recognised talent in their
current squad, I think QPR ought to be aiming higher than to merely survive in
the premier league this season.
Admittedly, QPR's start to the 2012-13
season has been far from perfect. A catastrophic 5-0 opening day defeat at the
hands of Swansea city left many hoops fans feeling very concerned about the
season ahead. The week after wasn't as bad as a Bobby Zamora goal earned a
respectable point away at Norwich.
September began with a 3-1 defeat at the
hands of Manchester City but Mark Hughes would have been proud of the way his
players remained positive and managed to equalize whilst the score was at 1-0.
Also, many of the west London side's new signings were unable to play. So how
about these new signings, and where will they fit in? Will they improve QPR's
position in the league? In this article, I will be discussing where the west
Londoners go from here.
In goal, many thought Robert Green, who
arrived from West Ham earlier in the summer, would be the number one. However,
just over a week after Green's terrible performance against Swansea, QPR
confirmed the arrival of Julio Cesar from Internazionale. Sadly for Rob Green,
I think it would be ludicrous for Mark Hughes to leave the former champions
league winner Cesar out of the starting eleven.
Surprisingly, the only central defender QPR
bought in over the summer was Ryan Nelsen, which was surprising considering the
defence was widely considered to be the reason QPR only survived by the skin of
their teeth last season. Another player that has been brought in is former
Chelsea right back Jose Bosingwa who looks set to be one of QPR's most regular
features this season.
As for midfield, the squad will in my
opinion gain a player with sheer class in former Real Madrid man, Esteban
Granero. Granero made his hoops debut against Man City and looked decent on the
few occasions when QPR were on the attack. Potentially, he and Alejandro
Faurlin could form an excellent technical central midfield partnership for the
club. Another new signing who could help feature heavily in the centre of QPR's
midfield is Stephane M'Bia who joined the hoops on a two year deal from
Marseille with QPR's disgraced former captain Joey Barton joining the French
club on loan. M'Bia may also play at centre back though so it's difficult to
predict how much he'll play in central midfield.
One of the biggest team selection dilemmas
manager Mark Hughes will have to face this season will be who will be the hoops
first choice striker. Amongst the contenders are Bobby Zamora, Jamie Mackie,
Andy Johnson and Djibril Cisse. Both Zamora and Johnson started against
Manchester city but with so many central midfield options and talented wingers
which include Shaun Wright-Phillips, Junior Hoilett and new club captain Ji
Sung Park, it's quite possible that Hughes will choose to start only one
striker at the majority of QPR's games this season.
Below is the line-up I'd choose if I was Mark
Hughes presuming every squad member was fit (4-5-1)
Julio Cesar
Jose Bosingwa
Anton Ferdinand
Ryan Nelsen
Fabio da Silva
Ji Sung Park
Esteban Granero
Stephane M'Bia
Alejandro Faurlin
Junior Hoilett
Bobby Zamora
So how far can this team go? Due to their
team that includes numerous highly decorated players, I think it would be safe
to presume many of QPR's players will be aiming for a mid table place. However,
due to some suicidal defending at times, I think the 2012/13 season maybe one
with some considerable difficulty for QPR. So I think a 14th place finish will
have to do for the fans of the hoops. However, once the squad gels, which
shouldn't take long QPR can be expected to hit their stride and should improve
each season. It may be a slow process but QPR should look to become a solid
premier league side sooner rather than later.
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