11:00PM BST 19 Aug 2012
Sinclair, a target for Manchester City, was demoted to the bench for the game at Loftus Road but his possible departure did not dampen the feel-good factor in Swansea’s camp after a stunning victory inspired by their new recruits from La Liga.
The mood is not so positive in the
Green was one of many poor performers and there is already talk of changes to the Rangers side for their next game against similarly troubled Norwich, on Saturday. Defensively, Mark Hughes’s team were disjointed so it is no surprise that they are being linked with a move for Barcelona centre-back Andreu Fontas.
This rout was completed by Sinclair in the 81st minute, just four minutes
after he was brought on. The midfielder, formerly of Chelsea, has not opened
talks with
Explaining the omission of Sinclair – with the impressive Wayne Routledge and Nathan Dyer selected ahead of him – Laudrup said: “I had no problem with taking Scott in the first-team squad. He has been training well. There are a lot of rumours but there is no problem there.
“Wayne and Nathan have been here a long time and we have worked a lot, with the ball and without, regarding the position of the wide players. Scott has only been here for nine or 10 days [because he has been away with Team GB] so of course we have not had as much time to work with him. That was why I chose the other two.”
Routledge and Dyer’s threat from wide areas, cutting inside and counter-attacking speedily, was a major factor in this result. Once a team are forced to chase a game against Swansea, the Welsh team are very difficult to play against; keeping possession well in their own half and having the ability to cut teams open on the break.
New signing Michu is likely to be a key man this season, providing an extra attacking option when they go forward and solidity when Swansea do not have the ball. At £2 million, the cultured Spaniard appears a real steal.
He scored the first two goals with the opener being a mistake from QPR’s new goalkeeper, prompting Barton to tweet: “Where’s Green’s hands?” The second was a sublime finish.
It already seems that Michu is the right man to take the mantle from talented Gylfi Sigurdsson, who has joined Tottenham, but the Spaniard insisted: “I don’t like comparisons. I know Gylfi was a great player for Swansea but hopefully I can score more goals than him.”
After Michu’s two strikes, QPR capitulated with Dyer adding two further goals from well-taken finishes before Sinclair’s clincher. Dyer joked: “I don’t think I have scored two goals in a game since I was about 12.”
Credit should also go to Swansea’s two other new players from La Liga - defender Chico Flores and midfielder Jonathan de Guzman. Laudrup said: “They are players who are used to fighting. They don’t come from Barcelona or Real Madrid.”
QPR’s new
Manager Hughes said: “If we need to, we will make changes. We have to bounce back quickly.”
