German tour ends in defeat but QPR can take many positives from trip

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Queens Park Rangers played back-to-back games against Hoffenheim and drew 2-2 in the first match before going down 3-0 on Sunday.

Despite Sunday morning’s 3-0 defeat to Hoffenheim, Steve McClaren and his Queens Park Rangers side can take a lot of positives from their pre-season trip to Germany.

The R’s recorded a memorable draw in the first of two games played against the Bundesliga side, with Toni Leistner and Ryan Manning snatching an unlikely 2-2 draw in Saturday’s clash.

McClaren got to see his new side in action and fielded nearly entirely different teams and there was much to be pleased with. Leistner notched his first QPR goal from a header in a feat Rangers fans will want to see frequently this season.

Osman Kakay, Ebere Eze and Ilias Chair are just three of the younger players who looked sharp and impressive, which will give the fans and management confidence moving towards the season opener.

Luke Freeman, Matt Smith and Jake Bidwell look to be making great strides alongside Conor Washington and Idrissa Sylla who worked hard up front. At the other end of the pitch, both Matt Ingram and Joe Lumley were used in goal with the pair looking strong.

The players’ attitude and commitment for this stage of pre-season appears to be spot on, and credit has to go to McClaren and assistant John Eustace. However, more work has to be done to coincide with the early progress.

The R’s squad will need to be self-sufficient this term, with not many new faces expected, so fans can be quietly assured about what they have seen in Germany. Granted, these games are not the real McCoy but there appears to be a great squad unity and it will be interesting to see how QPR fare over the first few months of the season.