Watford disappoint as they lose their first pre-season friendly of the summer at Queens Park Rangers

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s side are one week further ahead in their preparations as their new Championship campaign starts next weekend, and so it would be unwise to read too much into the fact they looked a little sharper. But the biggest concern was the manner in which Watford started the game with their 3-5-2 formation opened up worryingly at times.

It is no exaggeration to suggest Rangers could have been 2-0 in front before Sebastian Polter did deservedly open the scoring in the 21st minute after some less than impressive defending from Allan Nyom.

Before that chance though, Miguel Britos had been left exposed at times by several raids down the Rangers right, with the left-sided centre-half not helped by Jose Holebas' lack of indiscipline in doing the defensive side of his job for the first third of the match.

Watford did begin to improve defensively in the last 15 minutes of the first half – and that continued after the break – but their attacking play was also disappointing for the most part. It was sluggish in the first half and although an eye-catching display off the bench from Nordin Amrabat helped improve the tempo after the break, the quality wasn’t there often enough and Hoops goalkeeper Alex Smithies had a relatively quiet afternoon before substitute Conor Washington netted a late second.

Mazzarri named a strong starting XI for the Hornets’ penultimate friendly of the summer but there were some notable absentees from the matchday 23. Valon Behrami and new signings Brice Dja Djedje and Jerome Sinclair were left out as a precautionary measure following knocks in training, but the absence of Steven Berghuis and Juan Carlos Paredes only heightened suggestions their futures may lie elsewhere. The Hornets’ other three summer arrivals – Christian Kabasele, Isaac Success and Juan Camilo Zuniga – were on the bench.

Within two minutes of the start of the contest, Mario Suarez and Holebas had both been on the receiving end of sturdy challenges as their opponents signalled their intent from the outset.

But it was Rangers who had the game’s first opportunity when Britos was caught in possession by Massimo Luongo as he tried to bring the ball out from the back, leaving Polter with a clear sight of goal, but he blazed horribly over.

But the big Rangers striker was to go much closer to breaking the deadlock within a minute, meeting a Olamide Shodipo cross from the left with a glancing header which beat Heurelho Gomes, but bounced out to safety off the underside of his crossbar.

The Hornets were looking uncertain at the back in the opening stages, particularly down their left-hand side where Britos’ positioning was at times suspect, although he was receiving little help from Mazzarri, as his side continue to bed down their new shape.

However, there were moments of promise at the other, not least in the 15th minute when a Britos pass was superbly dummied by Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo and the ball almost ran for Abdoulaye Doucoure, but it was read by Grant Hall, who was injured in the process and needed treatment.

But the Hornets were carved open again in the 17th minute when Britos was once again left exposed as the lively Polter took him on and squared for the unmarked Tjaronn Cherry, who pulled his attempted finish wide when he looked set to open the scoring.

But Rangers didn’t have long to wait to make the breakthrough their performance in the opening 20 minutes had merited – and it was no surprise it was Polter who scored it.

Cherry rolled the ball into the big striker in the centre left of the penalty area and he side-stepped Nyom with ease before lashing a shot past Gomes to make it 1-0 in the 21st minute.

Ighalo had his first effort of the afternoon seven minutes later, dragging a right-footed shot wide of the near post having come inside Steven Caulker after Etienne Capoue had opted to drop deep to bring the ball out from the back.

The Hoops had the next opening, this time after Ikechi Anya had been caught in possession near to the right touchline and the ball was worked across the pitch to Ben Gladwin, who had not been picked up, and he dragged a shot across the face of goal and wide.

Capoue curled a shot wide of Smithies’ left-hand post in the 33rd minute after some promising work from Doucoure, although the visitors were still struggling to get any real cohesion going in their attacking play.

However, they did carve out their first clear opening six minutes later when a good pass from Britos found Anya in space on the right side of the area and his cross picked out Ighalo, but the Nigerian international was unable to keep his header down.

Moments later, Watford sprung the counter when Deeney headed clear from the edge of his own penalty area and a lovely first-time touch from Doucoure sent Anya sprinting clear, but his attempted cross was deflected behind by Hall.

Watford went closer still in the last minute of the half when Holebas, and not for the first time, beat his man to get to the by-line and his toe-poked centre was met by Ighalo, but Smithies instinctively stuck out a foot to avoid conceding.

Given Watford’s defensive problems, it was no surprise to see Mazzarri make changes in that department at the start of the second period, with Nyom and Anya making way for Kabasele and Amrabat. A third alteration was more tactically interesting though, as Zuniga replaced Doucoure in the central midfield trio.

The Hornets had the first chance of the second period when Capoue slipped Amrabat in behind the Hoops defence, but his attempted cut-back was dealt with before it could reach Deeney.

Soon after though, the home side had an opening and again it was Polter leading the charge. But in trying to pick out Cherry, the opportunity went begging.

The visitors were still struggling to get their attacking play going, but they had increased the tempo of their play since the restart with the introduction of Amrabat helping to bring some greater urgency.

And it was the Moroccan international who set up Watford’s next chance just after the hour mark when his good cross on the run from the left sat up nicely at the far post for Holebas, but he half-volleyed into the ground.

The next batch of substitutions followed as Costel Pantilimon, Sebastian Prodl and Ben Watson replaced Gomes, Britos and Suarez respectively.

Rangers chose to make their changes one by one and that had a predictably disruptive effects on proceedings before Success and Adlene Guedioura were introduced for the last 15 minutes. And the Algerian was soon to produce a trademark effort from distance which Smithies dropped to hold onto.

The game continued to drift until eight minutes remaining when Washington was introduced for Polter, who had been kept largely quiet following his impressive first-half display. And the substitution’s first contribution after entering the fray was to score Rangers’ second, nodding home a straightforward chance following an inswinging corner from the right that the Hornets never dealt with.

The visitors could have pulled one back with four minutes remaining when Zuniga’s cross from the left was headed back by Deeney, but Prodl didn’t get over his attempted half-volley enough and fired over.

Guedioura then created an opening for himself, picking up the ball at least 35 yards out and weaving past a couple of challenges before hitting a left-footed effort which Smithies could only parry back into play, but Deeney couldn’t get over his attempted follow-up header and the Rangers keeper held on at the second attempt.

Queens Park Rangers: Smithies; Onuoha (Lynch 73), Caulker, Hall, Bidwell; Luongo, Cousins (Henry 67); Gladwin (Perch 69), Cherry, Shodipo (El Khayati 62); Polter (Washington 82). Not used: Ingram, Washington, Petrasso, Kpekwa, Doughty.

Watford: Gomes (Pantilimon 62); Nyom (Kabaesele 46), Cathcart, Britos (Prodl 62); Anya (Amrabat 46), Doucoure (Zuniga 46), Suarez (Watson 62), Capoue (Guedioura 75), Holebas (Success 75); Deeney, Ighalo. Not used: Arlauskis, Mason, Vydra, Hoban.

Referee: Tim Robinson.