QPR have had a decent start to the season, having won one, drawn two, and lost one of their first four Championship games.
Even if QPR’s first three points of the season came from their victory against Lincoln Town last week, it’s still a start that should be applauded.
Yes, that was a really nice victory. The team led by Marti Cifuentes overcame a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1, with two goals in as many minutes sealing the game and energizing the away end at Kenilworth Road.
What this year holds for the R’s is yet unknown. Even if they are excited about the future under Cifuentes, it would be a bit premature to get too ahead of themselves because they were fighting relegation last season.
Loftus Road residents will remain realistic, but at this early point in the campaign, Michael Frey’s form is something to be enthused about.
After signing Frey away from Royal Antwerp in January, QPR welcomed him to the team. He scored in the team’s second Championship game, but that would be the last goal he would score for them that year. He made a few starts until his campaign was cut short by a muscular injury.
Because of this, many went into this season believing that Zan Celar, the summer signing, would swiftly become the most important striker at Loftus Road. Though he’s still getting used to things, winter addition Frey has been rather successful.
The 30-year-old has three goals and an assist in five appearances across all competitions. He took his objective very seriously, scoring the game-winning goal and setting up the equalizer in the Luton Town victory.
Frey is brimming with confidence, and the talisman’s support is propelling him to new heights. He’s returned to the team a different player, and QPR may have finally found their prolific goal scorer in him.
It is evident that QPR has had some excellent strikers during the last ten years. Not to be overlooked are players who have contributed from midfield, such as Ilias Chair and Eberechi Eze.
The R’s haven’t had a very effective striker since Charlie Austin during the 2014–15 campaign, though. Only one season has a striker scored more than 12 league goals, which is the equivalent of a goal every four games in a complete 46-game Championship season. Strikers like Idrissa Sylla, Michael Smith, Andre Gray, and Lyndon Dykes have scored in double digits in the years that have passed. It happened in 2019–20, with Jordan Hugill and Nakhi Wells managing 13 points apiece, behind Eze’s 14.
Hugill and Wells weren’t permanent members of the club even at that point.
To put it briefly, QPR hasn’t had a real talisman of their own in a while.
They could have one at last in Frey. The striker appears to be able to reach the heights he shown in Europe with Royal Antwerp, FC Zurich, Waasland-Beveren, and BSC Young Boys. He plays with a fresh feeling of freedom and confidence.
Maintaining his fitness will be crucial, but if Frey keeps up his current early-season form, he may be the striker who pushes for 20 Championship goals and puts QPR on the map.
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