QPR v Derby 2 - 1 FT 25FEB20 (12th/46pts/-6GD)

The major issue again last night was our set piece defending. Warburton seems to have adopted a a mixture of zonal marking and man marking but it didn't work whatever it was supposed to be. When the corner is taken Derby have 5 men in or around the box whilst we have 6 men and the goalkeeper in the box. Hall was not marking anyone but appeared to be positioned to cut out the near post corner. Hugill was standing on the 6 yard box in a middle of the goal position marking no one although I assume the logic is to cut out any ball that goes over Hall. Liam Kelly was standing in the middle of the goal and had Derby no.14 Jack Marriot standing beside him.

Derby put 3 men on the penalty spot and once the corner was taken they made therir moves, the Derby goal scorer Waghorn ran to the near post 6 yard line and as the ball went over Pugh he got his head to the ball which then goes in off the back post. Derby no. 33 Curtis Davis hardly moved and was covered by Barbet whilst Cameron covered the Derby no.16 Matt Clarke who moved towards the back post. Rangel was standing on the 6yard line covering any ball that flew over everyone to the back post. Derby no 10 Tom Lawrence was standing unmarked on the edge of the 18 yard box.

I suppose Warburton will say that our set up is right but you can't allow for players not doing their job which is fair but I'm not sure that Pugh was the right man to be marking the top Derby goal scorer.

I pondered that same question in regard to why was Pugh marking Waghorn rather than one of the defenders and I also thought the obvious marker should have been Hall or Ball. Not that it means much but Pugh is actually taller than Waghorn and you would have expected him to do better especially as Waghorn looked a little bit podgy. What was strange for me was the system we used to defend set pieces. Warburton has gone for a half zonal system and a half marking system and I'm not sure the mix is right. 
I don't understand why he wants Hall, Hugill and Rangel (arguably our 3 best headers of a ball)  marking space whilst  leaving 3 of our poorer headers (Barbet, Cameron and Pugh) marking what would appear to be  Derby's best aerial players in Waghorn, Davis and Clarke.