Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Park Ji-sung, QPR seek first win
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
With his new team winless in their first five games, Queens Park Rangers captain Park Ji-sung needs to figure out how to spark a victory.
Starting with an opening day loss against Swansea City on Aug. 18, QPR are 19th in the table having earned just two points. A first win of the season seemed in reach when Bobby Zamora scored the opener in Sunday’s match against Tottenham but the lack of a winning mentality and ineffective passing saw the Hoops fall to a bitter 2-1 loss.
Although the 31-year-old expressed confidence on the club’s official website saying “We deserved to win and were the better side,” the London club still has some issues to address. First of all, the offensive pattern is monotonous with a lack of diverse firepower. Zamora has proved his scoring ability, netting all three goals for the club so far, but QPR need their other forwards, including Djibril Cisse and Andrew Johnson, to contribute more to the front line. The team is averaging just 10.8 shooting attempts per game.
A more serious problem lies in a defense that has already leaked 11 goals, the second most after Southampton on 15. Zamora’s strike on Sunday was in vain, as was his equalizer in the 3-1 defeat against Man City on Sept. 2, as the defense let the side down. A lack of persistence was also a factor against Spurs despite QPR’s dominance in the first half. Against Man City, it was the second half that saw the Hoops conceded two goals after finishing the first 45 minutes level.
But Park still seems confident about the upcoming fixtures saying, “The league isn’t a true indicator of where we are in terms of performance. We’re only five games into the season.”
QPR and Park will continue their hunt for a first league win of the season when they host West Ham United on Oct. 2 (KST).