Are Queens Park Rangers the real deal for PL promotion?
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Queens Park Rangers are now in their seventh straight season of playing Championship football. Over the course of the last six years, the Rs haven’t looked like gaining promotion back to the top flight.
Rather, the London club has solidified its place in the division and looked like your run of the mill Championship team. That could change this season, however. Queens Park Rangers have started the 2021-22 Championship season in brilliant form under Mark Warburton.
Now in his third season at Loftus Road, Warburton has not only got the financial backing needed to assemble a strong team, but the players are fulfilling expectations.
Heading into the September international break, QPR sit third in the Championship with 11 points from 15 possible. They are yet to lose in the division and have posted a goal difference of +6 (11 goals for, five against).
QPR are led in goals by Scotland international Lyndon Dykes with three. The striker arrived from Scotland’s Livingston in the summer of 2020. Chris Willock and Charlie Austin have chipped in for goals as well.
Warburton’s ability to call upon several attacking players to score goals makes QPR different than many of the other sides in the division, who have just one player capable of scoring double-digit goals.
The manager has opted to play with two strikers for most of QPR’s games this season. Against Coventry on matchday 5, Warburton changed things up with a trio of attackers. however.
Veteran target-man Austin led the line with Willock and Ilhas Chair playing off of him which led to the Hoops claiming a 2-0 win against Coventry at home. Warburton has stuck with a back three for each league game.
The tinkering, when there has been some, has been over whether to play with a lone striker and two players behind him or an old-school two-striker formation.
Regardless of the formation, Warburton is using Willock and Chair as the team’s creative hub. The duo has tallied three assists combined in five games.
Despite the strong start for Queens Park Rangers, bookies are not necessarily convinced they can win the league. QPR are at odds of 14/1 to win the division, which has them behind Fulham, West Brom, Bournemouth, and Stoke.
Bookies are a little more convinced that Warburton could lead the Hoops back to the Premier League. The team is at odds of 4/1 to win promotion by finishing second or winning the promotion playoffs.
Reports on transfer deadline day are that Queens Park Rangers will get stronger before the window closes. Andre Gray is linked with a move from Watford. By the time you read this, another quality striker could be at Loftus Road.
Gray’s arrival will be a significant one as a look over Warburton’s squad shows a rather thin team. Nineteen players have been used in the Championship this season by Warburton so far.
In the team’s Carabao Cup second round 2-0 win over Oxford United, Warburton had to play several first-team players including Chair, Rob Dickie, and Willock. Illness and injury led to Warburton naming a mere four players on the bench compared to Oxford United’s seven.
Queens Park Rangers could be the Championship’s surprise team this season. Warburton has had two seasons to rebuild the squad and develop it. Now, the Hoops are making an assault on promotion.
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