Attacking trio provide potential blueprint for Stephan’s QPR.

Julien Stephan’s first game in charge of QPR ended with the club failing to win their first league fixture for the fifth consecutive season, but the 1-1 draw with Preston did provide some hints as to the type of football the Frenchman wants his side to play.

The trio of attacking players behind striker Zan Celar combined elements of the old and the new, flickering with early-season promise in a game that was mostly even with few clear-cut chances at either end.

While Kader Dembele arrived in west London last summer and Ilias Chair has been around for much longer, both were used in positions other than their regular roles from last season.

Chair began in a central role, and from there, he linked the majority of Rangers’ best play in a dominant first half display.

The 27-year-old’s influence was evident as he had the fifth most touches of any player on the pitch, while also creating three chances for teammates, including a particularly good early cross that Kwame Poku steered wide of the goal.

Dembele provided Rangers’ standout moment of the game in what was undoubtedly his best performance since suffering a knee injury in October last year.

Starting on the left side of the attack seemed strange for a player who is used to cutting infield when stationed on the other flank, but Dembele looked at ease when skipping away from Jordan Storey and then holding off Thierry Small in the build-up to his cross, which found the net via two deflections.

change of position meant Poku made his debut in his preferred role, on the right, and while he missed that early opportunity, he did show enough in flashes to pique interest in what could come next.

Poku completed more successful dribbles than any other player on the pitch, demonstrating dexterity that suggests he will trouble many Championship full-backs this season.

There will be concerns that Dembele and Poku had to be substituted in the second half after receiving on-field treatment, but Stephan was impressed with the trio’s performance.

“I liked the way in the last third they created one-against-one [situations],” the player said. “I want them to feel free to do that because creative players require mental freedom to create danger.

“They are all creative players, and we need to put them in the best position on the pitch to create danger.

“If we can play in the opposition’s half, it will benefit them because they can create danger every time they have the ball at their feet.

They will be extremely important to us this season. “I like these types of players because they are unique. It’s so difficult to find space in the final third.

“When you have players who can do that, you should enjoy them.” It will take many more matches to determine Stephan’s QPR, but Dembele, Chair, and Poku appear to be key players for him.

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