From the Offie, Ollie reflects on the game
www.qpr.co.uk/news/club-news/ollie-reflects-on-lokomotive-friendly/Ollie reflects on Lokomotive friendlyIan Taylor @ijtaylor81
QPR manager Ian Holloway was encouraged by aspects of his side’s performance, despite seeing Rangers lose 3-2 to Lokomotive Leipzig in pre-season friendly action in Germany this afternoon.
Following yesterday’s postponement against FC Union Berlin, Holloway stuck to his initial plan to field a more youthful side against the German fourth-tier side, with a number of Under-23 players featuring throughout the match.
Speaking to
www.qpr.co.uk in the wake of the defeat, in which Ryan Manning and Pawel Wszolek were on target for the Hoops with fine strikes from distance, Holloway said: “I was pleased with certain aspects of the game.
“With two games in two days there was always going to be one game when I fielded a slightly younger side.
I’ll play the same team that started the game yesterday.IAN HOLLOWAY“I was pleased with how they (the younger players) did though. They kept their concentration and showed good character to come through the 90 minutes, which for some of them was a new experience with this group.
“We were a little bit flat in the first half, but we still created a lot of chances that we somehow failed to take. That was a frustration, but the fact we created so many opportunities was encouraging.
“I don’t like losing matches and nor do my players.
“The lads are a little bit sombre but I’ve told them to get their heads up because there was a lot to be pleased with.”
Holloway gave 14 players a run-out in total and he added: “It was nice to see Mass back and looking sharp, and Jordan came through another 60 minutes following his injury problems, which is another positive.
“I thought the players fitness levels looked good.
“We only made a few changes and they were for safety reasons more than anything else.
“They pretty much changed their whole team, so to see us finish the game as strongly as we did, playing on the front foot and creating a lot of chances, was encouraging.”
The R’s are back in action in Germany on Monday evening, with the rearranged friendly against FC Union Berlin kicking-off at 6.00pm local time (5.00pm BST).
Holloway admitted he’s delighted both clubs have managed to confirm a new date so soon after Saturday’s postponement, adding: “We’ll have another go against Berlin tomorrow.
“It’s only right that we give our wonderful fans and their wonderful fans the opportunity to watch this game in their fantastic stadium.
“We know a little bit more about them from the 12 or so minutes that we played.
“They’re a really good team, so it’ll be another good pre-season game for us.
“I’ll play the same team that started the game yesterday.
“It’s a good chance for us to prepare and take another step forward as we look ahead to an exciting season at QPR.”