It’s been a mixed season for QPR this season. Goals have flown in at one end and they have also flown in at the other, leaving big question marks over who the number 1 should be.
With Joe Lumley and Liam Kelly both being at a fairly similar age and standard, Mark Warburton has had his work cut out in finding his first choice.
Both have had their good moments, and both have had their bad.
Lumley began the season as Warburton’s main man, but over the past month or so, Kelly has been the preferred choice.
Apart from obvious errors, deciding who has been the better is pretty nuanced. According to WhoScored‘s algorithm, 25-year-old Joe Lumley has been the worse of the two ‘keepers with 21 appearances to his name and an average match rating 6.08. Kelly, on the other hand, hasn’t exactly been fantastic either, earning a 6.53 average match rating from his 12 games, also having one Man of the Match rating.
It seems it’s not just Warburton having a problem distinguishing the better choice, as you can tell from fans below who were discussing who should play in goal.
On his day, Lumley is the better keeper. I’d say keep Lumley and have him fight for the #1 spot again
— Josh Fenwick (@JoshFenwick23) February 18, 2020
I would like to see another keeper next year, think they are both suspect #qpr
— TheModfather2 (@TheModfather2) February 18, 2020
I still think we need a keeper in the summer
— Edwin mills (@Edwin_aj_mills) February 18, 2020
Lumley has no confidence anymore, so it has to be Kelly until the end of the season. Then we assess the situation in the summer.
— BallSZN (@edtaylorqpr) February 18, 2020
Kelly for me & Lumley to work on technical points, kicking, concentration, improve decision making when playing the ball out from the back
— Steve Keyes (@keyes_steve) February 18, 2020
All day long. Sell Lumley in the summer
— Louis (@LouisMoir99) February 18, 2020
With QPR as far from the play-offs as they are from the relegation zone – 11 points – they are unlikely to have too much drama towards the end of the season in terms of relegation and promotion.
This should give the club a good opportunity to decide on whether either goalkeeper is good enough for next season, or whether they should invest elsewhere.