Scout report: We take a detailed look at how QPR's former Barnsley and Wycombe Wanderers midfielder Josh Scowen performed against Reading, and what role he's likely to play over the coming season

It was an impressive debut from QPR new boy Josh Scowen.

In a very well-drilled midfield, Scowen showed the levels of discipline needed to make Ian Holloway’s system work, sitting deep and allowing Luke Freeman and Massimo Luongo to follow their instinct as they joined the attack.

For his first competitive appearance for the club, the 24-year-old made quite an impression on the home crowd.

But just how good was he? We consulted leading statistics website www.whoscored.com to find out.

The statistics

Minutes played – 90

Goals – 0

Assists – 0

Passes - 34

Pass completion percentage – 82.4%

Long balls - 1

Ariel duels won – 2

Tackles - 0

Interceptions – 3

Fouls – 2

Clearances – 3

Blocks – 1

Analysis

That statistics are telling of the role that Josh Scowen was asked to do on the day.

His instructions from Ian Holloway were for him to be the deepest member of the midfleld and shield the back line with effective positioning and intelligent movement.

Scowen’s main strengths on the day was the way he intercepted and then cleared danger, and his ability to win a challenge in the air.

As well as this, he boasted an impressive passing record, making 34 passes throughout the game, with just one of them being a long ball. This goes to show the level of composure in his game against a Reading team who gave the Hoops little time in possession.

This also makes it all the more impressive that his passing accuracy was over 82%.

One area where Scowen appeared to have fallen short at first glance was his tackling. Despite not winning any tackles in the game, you only need to look at the team’s record (10 tackles overall) to see that QPR were clearly instructed to form a resilient defence, closing down the spaces for Reading to move into, rather than diving into tackles with a lack of discipline.

For his first competitive game for the club, that statistics from Scowen’s display against Reading are certainly encouraging, and go a long way to show exactly the role he is set to play in the team over the coming season.

For a more detailed look of QPR's performance against Reading,

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