Ladbrokes News """" QPR certainties for relegation unless they change their formationOutdated 4-4-2 does not cater for their creative midfielders or protect vulnerable backline QPRâs humbling defeat to West Ham should have alarm bells ringing at Loftus Road, as being outclassed on their own patch at the hands of newly-promoted opposition was not envisaged in the fansâ pre-season predictions. The Râs are 2/1 to be relegated at the end of the campaign; a comprehensively deflated price compared to the 4/1 they began the season with when they were acquiring all sorts of unimagined talent. Itâs fair to say that Mark Hughesâ summer transfer policy would not have looked out of place on a game of Football Manager as opposed to one a real-life Premier League club should be employing and this could have played a key role in their underwhelming start. The signing of Julio Cesar is the epitome of their ridiculous antics in the transfer market. It was a completely unnecessary capture given that Rob Green, a proven top-flight stopper and capable number one, had made the switch across London under the premise of being Hughesâ first-choice. Green is now bench-warming, which he will continue to do throughout the season; something he will be disappointed with to say the least. No good comes from the unhappiness of senior pros, as Andre Villas Boas found out to his cost at Chelsea, and rock-bottom morale is one of the key ingredients for disaster at any level of football, and those signs were evident as soon as Matt Jarvis silenced the home crowd with three minutes on the clock. This poor showing can be viewed as the tip of an ugly iceberg; Swansea gave them the run-around of all run-arounds on day one and Norwich should have banged a hatful past them in a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road. This would suggest Hughesâ problems are more blatant than low morale. His insistence on sticking to a rigid and outdated 4-4-2 formation is causing all kinds of problems for his back four, who are offered minimal protection from Alejandro Faurlin and Esteban Granero in the middle of the park. Their games revolve around creative ability, not snuffing out attacks. Their teams would be better suited to a 4-3-3, slotting an anchor man in between defence and midfield would provide their centre backs with some respite and stem the flow of threatening balls being played from the oppositionâs midfield. Creative players like Granero, who has struggled to make an impact in the hoops of QPR, would also benefit from playing in a 4-3-3 set up. He could focus more on picking passes to hurt opposition instead of altering his game to comply with the restrictions imposed upon him by their 4-4-2. They have defensive midfield players at their disposal in Samba Diakite and Shaun Derry, so are capable of making the switch. They also have finances available to bring in better options should they be deemed substandard. Going forward, Bobby Zamora is the perfect candidate to spearhead a three-pronged attack, while the likes of Junior Hoilett, Djibril Cisse, and Adel Taarabt have the ability to play the supporting roles out wide. The latter in particular has the quality to change a game in an instant, as he proved with his scorcher against the Hammers, and is completely wasted playing a bit-part role from the bench. His ball-control, football-brain and power make him a nightmare for defenders and, if allowed to play without the constraints of 4-4-2, can be as threatening as any recognised Premier League superstar in the final third. If Hughes fails to make this essential tweak, his side will continue to disappoint and he is likely to find himself unemployed or, failing that, take the Râs down to the Championship in one of the biggest Premier League catastrophes to date. """"
Most bookies odds are 11/4 or 3/1. Ladbrokes are the only ones currently quoting 2/1. There are four teams shorter priced; Norwich, Reading, Saints and Wigan. The article is very harsh indeed and while many would agree that our start has been less than impressive, this article gives no recognition of the games we were impressive in. OTT.
Yep, 4-3-3 is how I read the tactics required to make the best use of our squad particularly while our back 4 is so depleted but I get slated on here whenever I have the temerity to mention it. That's probably because, along with the formation, you probably have to go without the likes of Zamora to make this work IMO. The target man stuff that comes as part and parcel of 4-4-2 just doesn't work with the players we have available. I see an interchangeable front line of Cisse (maybe Mackie) Taraabt and Hoilett directly linking up with a mobile midfield trio rather than separated from them. Remember, I didn't buy the players we have in the squad but at this stage we simply need to make best use of what's available.
I think there are a few formations that can work. I don't think just Granero and Ale are quick or strong enough alone to protect our back 4, and normally these 2 plus M'bia, or Diakite, or Derry, or Park (even) will be needed. So I agree a 4 3 3 sounds very workable, but a 4 5 1 with these 3 in centrally, or a 4 4 2 with a diamond middle 4, where these same 3 forming the backward apex and the 2 wider players, should also all work. But Hughes still seems unsure which formation we should play, about time he sorted that, or at least a couple of them. Worse for me he is repeatedly playing the wrong people, not just Park and SWP out in wide attacking positions where they provide nothing going forward, and last night at least were ineffectual defensively. Why did he break up the key CB partnership of Hill and Nelsen last night when they had done so well together against Spurs - wouldn't it have been better to play Onouha or M'bia at LB, and Mackie or M'bia at RB and keep the CB pair unchanged?
How many people on here have been berating Hughes for months for using 4-5-1 at home, and have been screaming for 4-4-2?
That's exactly what I said on another thread. Hughes is really in a lose lose situation with some of our fans.
Not me!! 4-4-2 can only work if one of the central midfielders is a dedicated defensive midfielder, so in effect it becomes 4-1-3-2. The other way it can work to an extent is to play the second striker behind the target man which fills the midfield space a little. Lat night Hughes played an out and out 4-4-2 with no dedicated holding midfielder and we were murdered till he finally changed it with an hour gone!
IMO it was 4-2-4 yesterday which is why we got overrun in midfield, it was one of the things I agreed with NW and that is you have to build a team around AT. Arm round his shoulder and send him out to kill the opposition. Hoilett must be ahead of SWP, he did more in 20 minutes that SWP did in the previous 70. I like 4-1-3-1-1, with BZ up front and AT behind him. Midfield of Park/Diakite, Faurlin and Granero, with Mbia behind them in front of the back 4. I don't understand why we only play one half per game, we either have a stinker in the first half and a great 2nd or we are terrific in the first and the proverbial in the 2nd.
There is no point in playing 2 strikers when you don't have players who can feed them with balls (Part, SPW). So those 2 strikers get cut off. In my opinion it's better to provide 5 scoring chances for one stiker then none for two. And 4-4-2 formation can be good when one of the strikers is fast and agile while the other is target man (Owen, Heskey) but we practically have 2 target man and then there is no real link up play between our attack and our midfild because no one play in the hole.
The 4-1-3-1-1 is a very fluid version of 4-4-2 and crucially has a dedicated holding midfielder. Nice one mate.
IMO in 4-1-3-1-1 formation we wouldn't have the width, Park/Diakite-Graneo-Faurlin, no one play as a winger and we would have to go trough the middle and we wouldn't exploit our target man .
The strength in our squad is the midfield yet that is our weak link on the pitch. When we're overrun, our defence becomes a shambles. MH doesn't need to stick square pegs in round holes. He has the players to play a very effective system and until he does that, we will struggle for points.
