Wrexham's biggest concern and a cause for optimism

Wrexham's early-season defensive frailties were on show as they were beaten 3-1 by Queens Park Rangers.

Defeat by Julien Stephan's side at the Stok Cae Ras means Phil Parkinson's side sit 21st in the Championship table with five games played.

It comes after Wrexham spent heavily over the summer - with their net spend being among that of Europe's elite - on the back of securing an historic third successive promotion.

But following a rapid rise up the divisions, the 2025-26 season - the club's first in the second tier since 1981-82 - has been far from a walk in the park early on.

So should fans be concerned at the club's start to life in the second tier and are there reasons for optimism?

Even at this early stage of the campaign, the defensive stats from the Championship make for poor reading for Wrexham.

They have conceded a league high xG of 12.56 and have faced 101 shots across their five Championship matches - comfortably the highest total of any side in the division.

Following the loss against QPR, Parkinson said: "The goals we conceded, on one hand, you'll say they were clinical, but when we analyse them all, we'll know we could have done better."

Former Wales striker Nathan Blake highlighted his concerns over Wrexham's defensive struggles.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales' Feast of Football Phone In, Blake said: "Wrexham are in a bit of a precarious position at the moment. The heat is going to come on the manager pretty quick if they don't start picking up wins.

"They're conceding all the time, they're not tight enough, they're too passive in the way they are. They do need to sort that out.

"We can't keep saying 'it's early days'. What happens is that confidence starts to ebb away. Fans start getting on your case and it gets harder to get on a roll and before you know it, it's Christmas and you're in a relegation fight."

Having made 13 signings over the course of the summer transfer window, Wrexham's new-look squad will undoubtedly take time to gel - including at the back.

Conor Coady, Max Cleworth, Lewis Brunt, Eoghan O'Connell, Callum Doyle, Dan Scarr and Aaron James have all operated in the back three at some point for Wrexham this season. Dom Hyam also joined from Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers on deadline day.

As for the wing-back slots, Liberato Cacace, James McClean and Jacob Mendy have shared the duties on the left while Cleworth, Ryan Longman and Ryan Barnett have all had stints on the right - with Issa Kabore joining on loan from Man City in the final stages of the summer window.

In a nutshell, the turnaround has been vast - with O'Connell and Mendy no longer even at the club.

"The change in personnel has been so rapid," club legend Mickey Thomas said on BBC Radio Wales Sport.

"I spoke to Phil Parkinson a while ago, I said 'with all these players coming in, you're going to find it a problem to keep them all happy'. He said he'd rather have that problem than not have them (players) here at all."

The defeat by QPR saw Ben Sheaf make his debut off the bench while the former Coventry City midfielder's fellow deadline day recruits Kabore and Hyam featured in a Wrexham matchday squad for the first time.

Ex-Wales frontman Ian Walsh believes Parkinson needs time to work with his much-changed squad.

"If they're sensible they'll give Phil Parkinson enough time to turn things around," he said.

"It's difficult, back-to-back-to-back promotions and you drag a lot of new players into the club, listening to Mickey Thomas, it's going to take time for them to work each other out."

Parkinson himself commented: "We've changed the squad around completely and there was always going to be a period at the start where it doesn't go completely as you'd want it."

This is a club that operated in the National League as recently as May 2023, and one that has enjoyed unprecedented success under the ownership of Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

Wrexham have also been competitive in each of their five Championship games to date.

The QPR defeat was the first time they had lost by more than one goal this term, and yet, the attacking statistics from the contest were somewhat encouraging.

Wrexham had 21 shots, eight of which were on target, to end the game with an xG of 2.64, significantly more than QPR's figure of 1.43. Unfortunately, it was those defensive issues that ultimately proved costly.

It's often said that scoring goals is the hardest part of football, but the Red Dragons have scored in each of the seven games they have played across all competitions this season.

Their xG of 7.75 is bettered only by Coventry - who were in last season's Championship play-offs - and Southampton and Ipswich Town - who spent last season in the Premier League.

Following his debut showing, Sheaf said: "We've created some really good chances and if we tidy up and do some of the basics a bit better, I think we'll definitely pick up some results."

Relationships are continuing to be built throughout the squad, and the likes of Ollie Rathbone, Liberato Cacace, Jay Rodriguez, Danny Ward and Andy Cannon are still to come back from injury.

Josh Windass - goal scorer at Southampton on the opening day - and George Thomason - who is yet to feature for Wrexham since joining from Bolton Wanderers in the summer - are both set to be available for Saturday's trip to Norwich City after spells on the sidelines.

So the options Parkinson has at his disposal are only set to improve in the near future, which the manager will hope can be the catalyst to an upturn in fortunes for his side.