FPLZ 2012/13 Season Preview: Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Queens Park Rangers F.C. 

Alejandro Faurlin posing for QPR's 3rd kit.

You can download the full analyzed squad data here.

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Last Season: Just Enough
It was ironic to see the team who dominated the Championship two seasons ago struggled so much in the Premier League last season, especially when the other two promoters have freed themselves from relegation so early. They are really lucky to still remain in the top-flight league this season thanks to Bolton who failed to win their last game last season.

This Summer: Bigger Cash Splash
Tony Fernandes never stops spending. QPR have already sign a whopping number of 7 players so far, who namely are Samba Diakite, Fabio da Silva (loan), Robert Green, Junior Hoilett, Andrew Johnson, Ryan Nelsen and the best among them all, Park Ji-Sung. Ambitious, but whether these purchases can be converted into results is another story.

Quite a number of players are migrating away from Loftus Road as well, and they are Patrick Agmeyang, Daniel Gabbidon, Fitz Hall, Paddy Kenny and Daniel Shittu.

Upcoming Season: Looking for Improvement
With such a strong financial support from the boss, Mark Hughes simply has to deliver. Though the players can only be classified as second class players at best, they depth that QPR have is tremendous. If the gaffer can use this advantage effectively, things can really turn big at Loftus Road.

Park's historical P90.

No More Parking On the Bench: Park (FI: 0.262)
Park Ji-Sung was wasting one of his greatest attributes at Manchester United, and that is stamina. Nicknamed "Three-Lungs Park", the South Korean never runs out of breath in the game, has immense work rate, and is able to play everywhere on the midfield.

With his decision to join QPR, fantasy managers have the chance to see his full potential, should he start regularly for the whole season. If he can deliver 5 goals in 2006/07 season with Manchester United in just 775 minutes, I see no reason why he cannot achieve 10 goal milestone this season if he can play for more than 2500 minutes.

Revived?: Taarabt (FI: 0.343)
Adel Taarabt (£6.0m) was one of the player whom many pundits expect to shine last season, but for some reason the lad failed to deliver what he seemed to promise.

Nonetheless, the midfield had a fine run during the final quarter of last season, averaging 6.0 points for the last 6 Premier League games he played for QPR. With better crop of players surrounding the Moroccan this season, Taarabt should definitely be included into your fantasy watchlist.

Survived: Hoilett (FI: 0.456)
Relegated with Blackburn, QPR took Junior Hoilett (£6.5m) back to the Premier League after the winger's contract expired this summer.

The Canadian is definitely a talented one, with his name listed in FIFA's 13 Players to Watch in January 2012. If he can improve on his 7 goals and 6 assists tally last season, he can become a really popular fantasy pick.

Overcrowded: Forwards
Bobby Zamora (£6.5m), Djibril Cisse (£6.5m), Jamie Mackie (£5.5m), Heidar Helguson (£5.0m), Andrew Johnson (£5.0m), Jay Bothroyd (£5.0m)...... The long list of forwards goes on.

Rotation policy will certainly be on Hughes' books, so fantasy managers should really avoid them now. I believe Zamora could be the exception though.

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Park Ji-Sung to QPR: Great Prospect Awaits?

Park with his new boss Tony Fernandes.

Queens Park Rangers continue their revolution under the ownership of Tony Fernandes as the ambitious boss has made yet another big move by taking in Manchester United's Asian superstar, Park Ji-Sung.

In fact the 31-year-old South Korean is expected to take over the captain armband of the team soon with Joey Barton, the ex-captain, being stripped off his captaincy earlier due to his disciplinary problems.

So what can we expect from Park in the fantasy world? Based on Park's previous statistics, he has scored 27 goals and 22 assists for Manchester United in 205 appearances - an average of 1 goal in every 7.6 games and 1 assist in every 9.3 games. Not very productive to be honest.

However, if we take into account the fact that Park featured quite frequently as a sub and further consider that he has to make way stars like C. Ronaldo, Rooney and Nani during his career at Old Trafford, we can believe that he will better the figure at Loftus road.

But can he improve his production to a level that it is profitable to get him in Fantasy Premier League? Time will tell.

Shinji Kagawa: United's New Playmaker, Moneymaker, Or Both?

Overview
With Borussia Dortmund agreeing a £12m transfer of its superstar Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United, FPLZ analyzes the Japanese's impact to the both the fantasy and reality football world.

Dribbling
Similar to other players of Asian descent, Kagawa is 1.72 m tall and has a rather slim body build compared to players of other continents. However, this is well compensated by his superior dribbling skills, which at times are comparable to Barca's Lionel Messi. Combined with his footballing intelligence, the Dortmund's star is unplayable at times thanks to his exceptional first touch and ball control.

Positioning
Kagawa enjoys the freeman role, hovering a big area on the pitch. Attacking midfielder would be the best position to execute such a role, as it will unleash his great positioning talent - to appear at the right place at right time and deliver lethal balls to kill off his opponents.

Passing
Creativity is indeed the main reason United signed him. Kagawa's vision is one of the best in the world, as shown in his superb partnership with Poland's goal poacher Robert Lewandowski. One two pass is perhaps Kagawa's greatest asset - his ability to find space for his teammates is simply astonishing. However, as Manchester United practises a more dynamic approach in passing, it remains to be seen whether Kagawa can deliver long passes accurately and consistently.

Finishing
This is what that makes the playmaker a very lethal player compared to his Asian counterpart in United, Ji-Sung Park. Kagawa is able to finish equally well with both feet, and is very confident with powerful volleys. A total of 17 goals at Dortmund last season suggests that he will contribute a good portion of United's goals next season in the club's attempt to become the leader in Manchester and England again.

Marketability
For me I think the initial fee of £12m for Kagawa is a steal - his football ability alone would worth at least this amount of money already. Kagawa's arrival would definitely deepen United's pockets with further attraction of Asian market especially Japan. At least the jersey sales are not expect to experience a sharp decline when Park leaves the club in the next few years.

Verdict
Aged only 23, Kagawa has a bright future with Manchester United as his purchase solves United's biggest weakness for years - the lack of a world class central playmaker. The youngster shall link the front and the back, the left and the right effectively to take United's attack to new heights ever since Roy Keane's era. A £9.0m fantasy valuation, or more, is what you shall expect for a player of his pedigree.

Click here for a comprehensive scouting report of Shinji Kagawa by RangeRooney.