Park Ji-sung, QPR seek first win

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).