Queens Park Rangers lost their main man in Ebere Eze over the summer, and the stage was set for Ilias Chair to step up, and become the Rs’ main man.
Sadly though, that idea is yet to take off. Chair showed signs of improvement last year but that progression has seemingly stalled in this new 2020/21 campaign.
He’s so far featured in all 11 of QPR’s Championship fixtures and scored twice. With every performance though, fans are giving mixed reviews about the Belgian.
For all his close control and ability to get in and out of situations, he just doesn’t have that killer instinct that Eze had in such abundance.
They’re two similar players, but Chair is struggling to break past average-to-good performances for QPR and given all the expectation surrounding him going into this season, is it time to reevaluate?
He turned 23-years-old last month. Chair is still a young player but now playing in his third full season as first-team footballer, the signs of a top player should really be emerging by now.
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Many feel the problem lies in Mark Warburton’s deployment of Chair. He plays him out on the left wing and, last time out against Blackburn, Tom Carroll in the middle.
That decision and the one to play Carroll as a no.10 was met with mounds of online criticism from fans and they think time to play Chair down the middle – his natural position.
With every week the pressure mounts on Chair to do that something special.
QPR have lacked that this season and Chair can be the man to give QPR that little bit extra, but it really needs to start happening soon, and much more regularly.
Warburton might do well to play Chair in a more central role. It’s food for thought over the international break – in which QPR sit 18th in the Championship table.
