QPR v Leeds Utd Match Thread

[Ellandback1]

Friday 26th April 8:00pm | Loftus Road


Leeds have the opportunity to put distance between themselves and Ipswich Town, if they can overcome Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Friday Evening. With the Tractor Boys not playing til Saturday (at Hull City), the Whites can go four points clear, and put pressure on Kieran McKenna's side, who would have two games in hand. The two sides last met in early October, when Crysencio Summerville's clinical ninth minute strike was all that separated them. The game was marred by the sending off of veteran keeper Asmir Begović for (nearly) clipping Patrick Bamford.

Leeds will be without the services of Dan James. The Welsh Wizard suffered rib/abdominal injuries towards the end of the Boro win, and was subsequently seen on the team bus being administered gas and air. His thirteen goals and seven assists this season have gone a long way to put Leeds in the position they are now in, but in all likelihood, he will miss the season finale against Southampton. Defensive quartet Stuart Dallas, Jamie Shackleton, Connor Roberts and Pascal Struijk all miss out with injury, whilst Sam Byram looks set to continue at right back, allowing Archie Gray to venture forward into midfield, meaning Glen Kamara once again drops to the bench. Patrick Bamford bruised a knee against Boro but Daniel farke hopes he will recover in time to lead the line ahead of Matteo Joseph or Joel Piroe.





Daniel Farke emphasized the importance of maintaining their attacking style against a possession-oriented QPR side, stressing the need for bravery and belief in their approach. He expressed faith in his players' ability to adapt their approach as needed, citing their versatility on the training pitch. He acknowledged the importance of celebrating victories but cautioned against complacency, urging focus on the task at hand. Looking ahead, Farke highlighted QPR's positive mood and possession-based play, signaling a challenging but manageable encounter. Additionally, he discussed tactical adjustments to optimize midfield balance and emphasized the need to turn fixture list challenges into opportunities for growth and adaptation.



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[The Subhuman]

Meslier
Byram
Firpo
Gruev
Rodon
Ampadu
Gnonto
Gray
Bamford
Georginio
Summerville

Darlow
Kamara
Piroe
Anthony
Joseph
Cresswell
Cooper
Gelhardt
Crew

[John in Louisiana]

It's win or the playoffs for both of our last two games.

[weasel]

Leeds will be without the services of Dan James. The Welsh Wizard suffered rib/abdominal injuries towards the end of the Boro win, and was subsequently seen on the team bus being administered gas and air. His thirteen goals and seven assists this season have gone a long way to put Leeds in the position they are now in, but in all likelihood, he will miss the season finale against Southampton.

To help out our American following the term gas does not, I hope, refer to petrol.

[Kennyb41]

I can see QPR playing for the point. They are 4 points clear of the relegation places and a point would mean 3rd bottom Birmingham having to win both games to overtake them instead of a win and a draw. It also mathematically shuts the door on 2nd bottom Huddersfield too. With Sheff Wed, 4th bottom, 3 points behind but with a huge deficit on goal difference a point would also mean that Sheff Wed would need to win both games to overtake them. So whilst they are pretty likely already safe a point would just about guarantee it as it would require both Birmingham and Sheff Wed to win both their remaining matches.

It's a worry Weasel, so many teams are preparing this low block when they know they can't go toe to toe, and even the top Prem teams struggle to break thru it at times and leave themselves wide open to attack. Individual brilliance like Pablo, Foden, De Bruyne type we just don't have, it's gonna be down the PB to drag them around, if Gnonto and Jimmy exchanged more i feel this would help exploit any openings coz i don't think the oppos find them hard to mark otherwise.

And i hope ta fck he doesn't try and drag QPR out to play coz 1. We don't seem very good at that ourselves 2. Most just seem to stick 2 fingers up at us and get organised. If he is gonna do that ffs, don't do it wayyyyyyyyy too deep in our own half.

We need an early goal, and i'm not too sure i'm bothered who scores it.

[Chilli D]

It will definitely be the same 11 that started against Boro, as long as no one picks up an injury in training.
I also would like to see Cree and Gnonto swap wings during the game again to mix things up.
The most worrying thing is that we don't have a very good record at Loftus Road.

[Sean_Nile]

I have done my analysis, put all the data into my spreadsheet, and ran the comma delimited format through ChatGpt to come up with suggestion for team selection. Here are the salient points.

1. Drop Meslier and put in that Norwegian bloke. Farke needs to restore his confidence after that car crash he had.

2. Drop Rodon and Ampadu they need a rest, since they have been playing all season. Replace them with fresh legs of Cooper and Cresswell.

3. Play Roberts and Shakes in the full back positions, they may be injured but the data suggests they are better than Byram and Firpo.

4. We need youth as the midfield engine, so it is best to drop Gurev and Kamara and go with Gray and Cree.

5. The attack needs to be completely overhauled and freshened up. Bamford, Summerville, Gnonto, and Rutter need to be rested, and any combination of Joseph, Piroe, Anthony and Gelhart would do nicely and get the job done.

6. Farke should call in sick and let the U21's manager take over, since he has had a great season, and certainly knows when to make substitutions.

7. The sub's bench should be made up entirely of youngsters from the U21's, which will send a signal to those left out that they are either dead wood, or will be sold on for profit.

I know many of you will disagree with this in depth analysis, all you haters of data, who allow their confirmation bias to form all their opinions, but mark my words if this team does not play at best we are looking at a draw and at worst defeat.

The metrics don't lie

[Kennyb41]

I have done my analysis, put all the data into my spreadsheet, and ran the comma delimited format through ChatGpt to come up with suggestion for team selection. Here are the salient points.

1. Drop Meslier and put in that Norwegian bloke. Farke needs to restore his confidence after that car crash he had.

2. Drop Rodon and Ampadu they need a rest, since they have been playing all season. Replace them with fresh legs of Cooper and Cresswell.

3. Play Roberts and Shakes in the full back positions, they may be injured but the data suggests they are better than Byram and Firpo.

4. We need youth as the midfield engine, so it is best to drop Gurev and Kamara and go with Gray and Cree.

5. The attack needs to be completely overhauled and freshened up. Bamford, Summerville, Gnonto, and Rutter need to be rested, and any combination of Joseph, Piroe, Anthony and Gelhart would do nicely and get the job done.

6. Farke should call in sick and let the U21's manager take over, since he has had a great season, and certainly knows when to make substitutions.

7. The sub's bench should be made up entirely of youngsters from the U21's, which will send a signal to those left out that they are either dead wood, or will be sold on for profit.

I know many of you will disagree with this in depth analysis, all you haters of data, who allow their confirmation bias to form all their opinions, but mark my words if this team does not play at best we are looking at a draw and at worst defeat.

The metrics don't lie

There's 2 here that will totally agree with it
One here would say this below is ALL the managers fault for picking players that can't find the net

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/vi ... 1nplvrrn0o

[Chilli D]

Our record for our last 10 matches at QPR, stretching back to 2005 is:
Won - 3
Drew - 1
Lost - 6
Our last win there was in 2017

[Jaydog]

Interesting analysis by the Sporting Life.
Seems Willy could be key tomorrow night.

https://www.sportinglife.com/football/n ... iew/217480

[Chilli D]

Interesting analysis by the Sporting Life.
Seems Willy could be key tonight.

https://www.sportinglife.com/football/n ... iew/217480

What's he up to tonight then?

[Jaydog]

What's he up to tonight then?

Well spotted
Someone’s awake on here

[Irish Ian]

Not a happy hunting ground.

Bielsa gets his heart broken by our ineptitude.
Bamford misses a penalty
They score an offside goal.
KP loses it and tries to kill one of their team and gets a three match ban.

All live on sky TV


And we are wearing that little pink number.

[lufc1304]

I hope all this negative s**t is tongue in cheek! QPR are crap, if we play to our strengths, we beat them.

[Chilli D]

I hope all this negative s**t is tongue in cheek! QPR are crap, if we play to our strengths, we beat them.

So crap they beat Leicester at Leicester

[Irish Ian]

And often Meslier poos his pants when he is playing in London

[Cjay]

Farke's here - Injuries?
Normally, with James's injury you are out for two to three weeks. Twelve days. Normally. Bit of hope still. Our medical team are working 24 hours a day to make him available for the last game. Realistoc to say he will probably miss the game, but a nice surprise if he does make it.

All the players came through Monday. Few hits and knocks causing late decisions. Only major doubt is Bamford because he got a big bruise on his knee.

Bamford fit if it was Saturday or Sunday?
Probably yes.


How bold do you need to be?
Important to be ourselves on the pitch. Have to be brave and fully convinced and stick to your beliefs. QPR play not like a team facing the drop. Spent plenty of time building on the training pitch. They play with possession.

You have to be brave to press this side. Against Boro, we changed our approach to be more pragmatic. We are capable of doing this, but our DNA is attacking games and being brave in this topic.


Faith in your players to change their approach?
If you want to change your approach during an important game you have to believe in your players. We are working on these topics on the training pitch. We can play in different set-ups. If we have to switch from man to zone oriented structure. Sit deeper or the other way around. Not that easy to get messages across during noisy games, but practise in training helps this


If you win - allow a celebration?
Yes, important to enjoy the moment a little bit. Especially after an unlucky week with results. Never easy to win the momentum back. To do this against a side on fire during the game and before in form. To do this on the road, we were all proud. Cannot beat that winning feeling.

It's reward for all of your hard work on the training pitch. Important not to get carried away because nothing is done. Allowed myself a few minutes before preparing my message to the players.


Message tomorrow?
They are in a situation where they have confirmed they will stay in this league. They could theoretically still be in danger and need three or one more point. They will play this in a good mood with confidence. Not a typical side sitting deep and waiting for set-pieces. Good possession side.



Gray forward runs - advanced - intention to free up Summerville?
One of Archie's strengths is he can cover lots of distance, backwards and forwards. Take the channel and join the attack. Bring himself into dangerous positions. Assist or goal. Lacking this intensity in terms of being a goal threat from midfield. He can offer this to our game.

First half, needs more balance, too advanced and too high to have a good structure for our build-up. Do not have a structure to control counters if too advanced. Important for our strength in midfield, we win many duels. Needs some patience and this will come with experience. Adapt to this midfield role. Smart and intelligent boy.


Issues like the schedule - turn the negative into a positive?
Yes, we have to. What we cannot influence is the fixture list. We can complain and feel sorry about this, but it won't help us. We can speak to the key people about these topics, but there should be fair play and fair chances for everyone.

We want the best players available, but they miss games if the turnaround is too quick. We have to ask some questions, but it makes no sense to complain about matters. We cannot use it as an advantage.


Trust in your players - knew quickly of their ability - do you only see them under pressure during the season?
I was convinced of their character after a few days I arrived. After August was closed, I got used to every character of every player and saw what they do on the pitch. We have many young players in key positions, but we have to work with them on their tactical behaviour, football skills. Thank God we have two or three more experienced heads too.

Have to bring a winning mentality in soft skills. Work in process. Not the finished end product. We have won both games against Ipswich and Leicester, big pressure at Boro after three poor results and we were there when it counts. A sign of winning mentality.

[Jaydog]

And often Meslier poos his pants when he is playing in London

Geographical self soiling. Or GSS.
Some hypnosis can be carried out prior to travel.
He will be convinced he’s actually playing in Yorkshire.

[Irish Ian]

And they have the word "parking their name.

Park the bus.

[Sean_Nile]

Farke pre match interview. Starts around 6:40ish. Bamford bruised knee