Amidst the terror and tenseness of Sunday's home match with Stoke one QPR player handled the pressure and played his usual game in a vital 1-0 victory. Behold the newly mature Adel Taarabt. Nik Brumsack assesses the transformation.
Frustrating. Nightmare. Liability. Those are just three of the words often used to describe Queens Park Rangers' enigmatic playmaker Adel Taarabt.
He can make you tear your hair out: sometimes he shoots from ridiculous angles, sometimes he ignores teammates in good positions, sometimes he strops if things don't go his way. But intertwined among all his faults is perhaps the most talented footballer I have ever seen in a QPR shirt.
OK, so maybe that's not saying much given my age. Seriously though, the guy is a modern-day maverick. His extensive catalogue of flicks and tricks, his ability to score ridiculous goals and the way he winds up opposition fans mean it's hard not to be totally fixated by the Moroccan whenever he's on the ball.
He was instrumental last season in securing QPR's promotion from the Championship - a picture illustrated by his 19 goals and 16 assists. Of course, his critics will say, it's all well and good doing the business in the second tier of English football - can he do it in the Premier League? Well for an elongated period of time, the answer to that seemed to be no.
Talk of a summer transfer to Paris Saint-Germain unsettled Taarabt, who admitted his 'head was in Paris ,' before the move collapsed when Leonardo arrived as the French club's sporting director.
Fine early season performances at home to Newcastle and Aston Villa brought promise for better things to come, but the sparkling performances that had seen Taarabt voted the Championship's best player the season before were not forthcoming. He was no longer the centre of attention at QPR - Tony Fernandes became major shareholder and enabled boss Neil Warnock to sign big-name players Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton. Warnock took the captain's armband off Taarabt, gave it to Barton and from then on in, things went downhill for the playmaker.
An ineffective performance against former club Tottenham Hotspur in late October was the final straw, and Taarabt was dropped. The saddest thing was that he looked like he'd lost his flair. Everything that made him brilliantly original to watch - the bare-faced cheek and arrogance ever-present throughout the previous season – was seemingly gone.
He wouldn't start a game again until just before the New Year, by which time Warnock was under serious pressure as QPR's slide towards the relegation zone showed little sign of ending. Thankfully, Taarabt's return proved he hadn't lost what makes him such an original footballer. The outrageous skill was back, complimented nicely by an improved work-rate. It wasn't enough to save Warnock though, who was sacked by Fernandes after a 1-1 draw away to MK Dons in the FA Cup third round.
Mark Hughes was quickly appointed and Rangers again splashed the cash, landing the likes of Samba Diakite, Bobby Zamora, and probably most impressively, Djibril Cisse. Under the guidance of the ex-Manchester City manager, Taarabt's defensive play has improved immeasurably. Thankfully though, the freedom the Moroccan has often enjoyed is still present in his play.
After waiting an age for a Premier League goal, two came in the space of three weeks. The first, against Arsenal, was typical Taarabt. Picking the ball up with his back to goal, he turned before nutmegging Thomas Vermaelen, and then holding off the Belgian before stroking the ball past Wojciech Szczesny. The second, a fine free-kick from 25 yards, sealed a crucial 1-0 victory against Tottenham.
After initially struggling, 'Tarbs' is now demonstrating that he can make the step up to Premier League level - coming to the fore as QPR fight to remain in the Premier League. The temperament is still as unpredictable as ever. But that's what makes him what he is. Take the temper, the unpredictability and the arrogance from Taarabt's game and you are left with the shadow of the player he could still become.>br> Yes he still needs to improve, yes he's a luxury player, and yes, he needs to stop wearing gloves in May but, irrespective of whether QPR can stay in the Premier League, Adel Taarabt is highly likely to be playing at the top level next season.
Inside the stroppy, maverick interior is a man who is beginning to turn into one hell of a footballer.
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Pictures – Action Images