Speaking to the club’s official website, QPR boss Mark Warburton has highlighted the importance of keeping his players fresh ahead of this weekend’s game against Stoke City.
Heading into this weekend’s game, both Stoke City and Queens Park Rangers are in need of three points. The R’s are without a win in four matches and have slipped down to 17th place, while Stoke have won three of their last five, sitting four points clear of the drop zone.
Now, the two are preparing to face each other at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium with both sides in need of a win.
Ahead of the game, QPR boss Mark Warburton has highlighted the importance of keeping his players fresh, highlighting the importance of the likes of Lee Wallace and Todd Kane, also discussing the return of Yoann Barbet. He said:
“We have to see how the players are before deciding who we pick for Saturday. Someone like Lee Wallace has been outstanding and very strong for us but it is about us using the squad.
“You can take one player out for two or three games and it is about keeping it fresh. Todd Kane is another one who came out and in the coming weeks that could be very beneficial to us. We have to use the squad.
“Yoann coming back meant that young Conor [Masterson] took a break, so it is good to have the options. There are a lot of Saturday-Tuesdays coming up, with Derby and Charlton to come in midweek soon, and we have to make sure that we are fresh and ready for those games.”
Warburton then went on to explain why he only opted to make one substitution in the midweek game against Swansea City, saying:
“We had Angel playing his first game after six or seven weeks out and Yoann playing his first 90 minutes for over three months and both of them were cramping after 70 minutes, so I was keen to make sure we had cover for them.
“Cramp won the day against Angel after about 80 minutes, so we had to make that change. I was always very wary of losing either player [to injury] but also some players get confidence from playing 90 minutes.
“Pughy, for example, played very well and got Man of the Match. He hadn’t played 90 for a long while and he will take real confidence from that. Sometimes it can be better to do nothing.”
