The Dutchman has made Reading’s philosophy possible – QPR are badly missing a deep-lying midfielder of his all-round class.
If you remember Blackpool’s brief yet tantalising stay in the Premier League, and how could you forget the sight of Charlie Adam dancing through midfields in vivid orange, you won’t need reminder about Ian Holloway’s preferred style of football.
Yet, at Queens Park Rangers, his desire for open, expansive attacking football has been restricted somewhat by the lack of players at his disposal capable of fulfilling such a style.
Holloway has dragged both Sandro and Karl Henry out from the cold in recent months in an attempt to shore up the midfield but, with the former now in Turkey and the latter more a pragmatic destructor than a midfield metronome, QPR are still struggling to make the traditional Holloway style flow.
He has even attempted to deploy Massimo Luongo, the most technically gifted player in his squad, in a deeper midfield role to exert a degree of control. Consequently, the Australian has managed just two assists all season, down from six last year in the same number of starts. In short, a more defensive role negates his attacking influence.
While QPR are stuttering in mid-table, however, Jaap Stam’s Reading are heading for the play-offs, their easy-on-the-eye passing philosophy made possible by the summer signing of 30-year-old regista Joey Van Den Berg. Oh, and he arrived for free.
A superb passer capable of starting attacks from deep and an intelligent defender with the ability to intercept and break up opposition forays, the 30-year-old former PEC Zwolle playmaker is exactly the kind of player QPR’s midfield is crying out for.
Van Den Berg has the passing range of Luongo and the scrappy determination of Henry and, with the Dutchman in Holloway’s midfield, perhaps they wouldn’t be 18 points adrift of the play-offs. If the QPR boss can find another like Van Den Berg, his system could finally make sense at Loftus Road.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
