Tweet
I haven't been online all day. Has there been any news about his injury? I really hope he isn't out for too long, as I was impressed with him yesterday. He looked really comfortable on the ball and I felt that he was causing Terry and Luiz problems, particularly with his movement.
It's a real shame that a ridiculous pre-match handshake has overshadowed what was a pulsating London derby. It was very different to the two fixtures at Loftus Road last year, which involved Chelsea dominating possession and QPR desperately holding on in defence. This was an entertaining affair, with both teams playing attractive football and showing a desire to win the game rather than sit back and soak up the pressure. Some have suggested that we 'outplayed' Chelsea, a view that I disagree with. I thought it was a very even encounter, which we perhaps shaded. Certainly, the R's should be given credit for matching the European Champions in every area of the pitch. Granero and Faurlin kept possession very well and actually distributed the ball a lot better than Lampard did. Given that the Spaniard has only been with QPR for a few weeks and that Faurlin has just returned from a serious knee injury, their performance was very promising. I can't wait to see what this midfield partnership will be like in three or four weeks time because it seems to be constantly improving. Ferdinand's positioning has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks, but he didn't put a foot wrong and made a few vital interventions in the second half. Nelsen is similar to, but probably better than, Clint Hill in that he lacks pace but makes up for it with his leadership qualities, physical strength and aggression. He coped well with Torres, who spent most of the time falling on the floor theatrically and whining at the referee. Julio Cesar was also excellent and I felt much more comfortable with him in goal than I did when Rob Green was playing, a goalkeeper who is prone to disastrous errors.
I was disappointed by the BBC's post-match coverage of the match, which seemed to focus on Chelsea and their penalty shouts. For me, Terry went down very easily in the box and, whilst Nelsen was holding on to him, I think it would have been harsh for a spot-kick to be awarded. Hazard's one might have been given by another referee - at the time I thought we were lucky to get away with it. But it was interesting to note that nobody on the Match of the Day panel discussed that two-footed tackle by Ramires in the first half, which I felt should have resulted in a sending off. MOTD does seem to be biased towards the bigger teams, which is perhaps understandable given that their fans make up a larger share of the audience at home, but extremely irritating nonetheless.
In summary, this performance was impressive and certainly a sign of progression. The team is starting to gel. However, we must get some points on board as soon as possible. The West Ham game already looks really important, as does the WBA away match which follows it.
It's a real shame that a ridiculous pre-match handshake has overshadowed what was a pulsating London derby. It was very different to the two fixtures at Loftus Road last year, which involved Chelsea dominating possession and QPR desperately holding on in defence. This was an entertaining affair, with both teams playing attractive football and showing a desire to win the game rather than sit back and soak up the pressure. Some have suggested that we 'outplayed' Chelsea, a view that I disagree with. I thought it was a very even encounter, which we perhaps shaded. Certainly, the R's should be given credit for matching the European Champions in every area of the pitch. Granero and Faurlin kept possession very well and actually distributed the ball a lot better than Lampard did. Given that the Spaniard has only been with QPR for a few weeks and that Faurlin has just returned from a serious knee injury, their performance was very promising. I can't wait to see what this midfield partnership will be like in three or four weeks time because it seems to be constantly improving. Ferdinand's positioning has come under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks, but he didn't put a foot wrong and made a few vital interventions in the second half. Nelsen is similar to, but probably better than, Clint Hill in that he lacks pace but makes up for it with his leadership qualities, physical strength and aggression. He coped well with Torres, who spent most of the time falling on the floor theatrically and whining at the referee. Julio Cesar was also excellent and I felt much more comfortable with him in goal than I did when Rob Green was playing, a goalkeeper who is prone to disastrous errors.
I was disappointed by the BBC's post-match coverage of the match, which seemed to focus on Chelsea and their penalty shouts. For me, Terry went down very easily in the box and, whilst Nelsen was holding on to him, I think it would have been harsh for a spot-kick to be awarded. Hazard's one might have been given by another referee - at the time I thought we were lucky to get away with it. But it was interesting to note that nobody on the Match of the Day panel discussed that two-footed tackle by Ramires in the first half, which I felt should have resulted in a sending off. MOTD does seem to be biased towards the bigger teams, which is perhaps understandable given that their fans make up a larger share of the audience at home, but extremely irritating nonetheless.
In summary, this performance was impressive and certainly a sign of progression. The team is starting to gel. However, we must get some points on board as soon as possible. The West Ham game already looks really important, as does the WBA away match which follows it.
Comment