Stephan stands by post-Saints defeat comments
Julien Stephan has sought to clarify comments he made after QPR’s 2-1 defeat against Southampton.
It was Rangers’ third consecutive loss and they have won just one of their past five matches.
The head coach nevertheless suggested that Wednesday’s display was the best performance of the season so far – remarks which surprised many fans.
But Stephan says his intention was to highlight an improved attacking performance against opponents who played with a back five and defended in numbers.
He said: “I explained at the end of the game that it was probably offensively – I said offensively – for me one of the performances against a back five, especially a low block.
“When I say something, you have to consider all the words that I use. I said that against a back five with a low block, offensively, I didn’t say that it was our best performance defensively, because it was not the case, and it makes probably the difference at the end.
“Why I said that it was because I considered at the end of the game that we showed some improvement against a back five – a low back five – to have the ability to create some danger with different moves.
“And I can confirm that after I have reviewed the game. If it’s not the same feeling with the fans, I respect that, but this is mine.”
Meanwhile, Stephan has said Rayan Kolli and Kieran Morgan have not been more involved purely because of the number of options he has.
Stephan has frequently spoken about the need to make changes to the team during busy periods of matches and of the club’s focus on developing young players.
However, Morgan, 19, has not started a game in midfield this season, while forward Kolli, 20, has started just one Championship match under the Frenchman – the 7-1 drubbing at Coventry in August.
With strikers Richard Kone and Rumarn Burrell available, and with a number of other players having returned from injury, Stephan has plenty of options.
He said: “When all the players are available, I have some choices.
“Kieran Morgan game on against Southampton in the last game and Michy (Michael Frey) was not in the 20 players for the game, and the game before it was Kader Dembele (not included).
“So, I have some choices, and you have strikers like Burrell who score a lot, and Kone who scored a lot before.
“And I wanted to give the opportunity to Daniel Bennie to come into the 20 players because I considered that he deserved it when I saw him in training.”
Stephan says he has spoken to Morgan and Kolli about their lack of game time.
“I had some communication with them, I spoke with them and they know exactly the situation,” he explained.
“I trust in all my players. I just have to make choices.”
