Julien Stephan must be trembling after irritating QPR update emerges after Middlesbrough | OneFootball

QPR are starting to lose players through injury once again, something which haunted them last season

QPR's unbeaten start to the Championship campaign came to an end on Saturday, as Julien Stephan's side were beaten 1-0 at home against Middlesbrough.

The Hoops proved to be a decent match for one of the pre-season title favourites, just edging the possession, drawing the shot count and taking 10 more touches in the opposition's box.

Game state played a part, with the sole goal coming in the 20th minute, but the fact that QPR were able to have the lion's share of chances at a goal down showcases how much they were in the game. Last year, Boro took the lead and then scored three more without reply at Loftus Road.

In the end, the quality that Middlesbrough had, namely in Will Lankshear, who now has seven goals in seven games for the Teesiders, proved too much for the R's.

Julien Stephan had to make two early enforced changes against Middlesbrough

Action Images

That being said, the main frustration that came from QPR's defeat against Middlesbrough was the number of enforced changes that Stephan had to make in the first half.

Ilias Chair, who had started the season well with a couple of goals and an assist in four games, was forced off after just 14 minutes, and five minutes before half-time, Richard Kone was taken off injured, too.

Losing two players in the first half of any game is frustrating and can cause major changes in approach, but when both can be so influential in games, it's an even bigger blow.

Julien Stephan was coy when asked about the severity of the injuries post-match, stating that they'll have to be assessed in the 48 hours that followed, and that "perhaps it's nothing, and they'll be available on Wednesday [against Charlton Athletic]."

The Frenchman will definitely hope that it's nothing, rather than something long-term.

Injuries plagued QPR throughout last season

Action Images

This, unfortunately, isn't something that Julien Stephan hasn't had to deal with since he arrived at Loftus Road ahead of last season. Indeed, the QPR squad was blighted with injuries all last year.

Jake Clarke-Salter, Chair and new arrival Kwame Poku missed over half of the season on the sidelines; Rumarn Burrell missed months with a hamstring injury shortly after netting his 10th of the season; Harvey Vale was absent for periods, too.

Only seven players missed fewer than six league games last season. Three of those are no longer at the club, either leaving at the end of their contracts in the summer or returning to their parent club at the end of loans. 20-year-old Kieran Morgan wouldn't have played as many games if not for injuries, either.

Arguably, Kone and Amadou Mbengue were the only regular starters who played in the majority of games last season, something that needed to improve in the ongoing campaign.

Julien Stephan will hope that Middlesbrough injuries aren't a sign of what's to come

Action Images

Injuries happen to every team in football; they're not uncommon. However, it's arguable that QPR didn't have the rub of the green with them last year, and won't want the same to happen again this year, either.

Already, new left-back arrival Boy Kemper has spent time on the sidelines after suffering an ankle injury on his debut and won't be seen again until October. In addition, Karamoko Dembele's ACL injury, which he suffered in February, has forced him to miss the opening months of this season, too.

Having one or two players in the treatment room can be bearable, but if any more follow the likes of Kone and Chair in, Julien Stephan will already be facing an all-too-familiar issue.

It's even more worrying with that duo, too. Chair has had a torrid time with injury as of late, missing 59 league games over the past two seasons, while Kone is the opposite, with this being the first potential injury of his professional career — hopefully, it's not the sign of things to come.

QPR's outside play-off hopes could depend on how healthy they stay this season

Action Images

You should never get carried away with the first four games of a season, and in QPR's case, they had a somewhat favourable start, facing two newly promoted sides and two clubs who finished in the bottom seven last season.

Picking up 10 points from 12 in those games, though, did provide some optimism, and the performance in defeat against Middlesbrough hasn't done much to deter that.

Julien Stephan should take positives that, with a fully fit squad, they can stand toe to toe with the best in the division. The main caveat to that is that his squad will need to stay healthy for lengthy periods, and the jury's still out on whether that can happen.

QPR have one of the more exciting, younger squads in the Championship, and with the play-offs expanding this season, they'll have earmarked a top-eight finish as something they could achieve.

They'll need things to go their way for that to happen, though, and an injury-plagued campaign for the second straight year could see those dreams dashed.