Sure signs that Marti Cifuentes working his magic again to lift QPR away from Championship drop danger

BY DAN EVANS

In November 2023, a meeting with Stoke City under the Loftus Road lights got Marti Cifuentes’ reign as QPR head coach under way in earnest.

Having been appointed to replace Gareth Ainsworth a month beforehand, the Catalan earned his first win against the Potters having gone three games without victory to start his tenure.

That 4-2 victory proved to be the catalyst for an upturn in fortunes that saw QPR steadily climb out of the Championship relegation zone and secure survival in the second tier.

Cifuentes oversaw a run of just four defeats in 19 to end the season, and the excitement about what he could achieve following a full pre-season and a summer transfer window was palpable.

Almost a year on from that formative night, QPR again hosted Stoke at Loftus Road, but a 1-1 draw – where defeat was only avoided by the visitors having a late goal controversially disallowed – made the success of last season feel a very long time ago. The result extended a winless run to 12 matches, leaving Rangers bottom of the Championship

Cifuentes remained bullish despite the disappointing results and the league position. He had been adamant success would not come quickly during a summer in which Rangers signed 10 new players, with all but one having no previous experience of playing in the Championship.

Playing three times a week seemed too great a physical demand for some of the new arrivals. Attempts to move towards a more open, possession-heavy playing style did little to improve the team’s attacking output but did make them more vulnerable defensively. Even when QPR did play well, fortune was not in their favour and confidence drained by the week.

Despite that draw with Stoke leaving the Loftus Road faithful having seen just 13 home wins from the previous 59 attempts, support for Cifuentes following the final whistle was significant and vocal.

They had seen what he had been capable of in a similar situation last season, and the Rangers boss has set about repaying their faith and repeating the trick in the four weeks that have followed.

Heading into tomorrow’s game against Preston, QPR are unbeaten in six matches – a run that has included three wins and four clean sheets. They are up to 18th in the league table and find themselves five points clear of the relegation zone.

Postponed fixtures for teams below them have helped, and there has been less ground to make up this term thanks to a series of early season draws, but the turnaround in recent games has made it impossible not to think that Cifuentes is working his magic again.

It would be an exaggeration to suggest that any of the team’s performances in this recent run have reached the heights of the 4-0 win against Leeds that secured safety at the end of last season. But the defensive resolve that defined their successful push for survival has been rediscovered, and that has given a forward line that has lacked conviction for much of the campaign a more forgiving platform to make an impact at the other end.

Zan Celar’s brace at Cardiff not only ended the winless run but also vanquished his 19-game goalless run since arriving in west London in the summer.

Youngsters Alfie Lloyd and Rayan Kolli have played well since the Slovenian international suffered a hamstring injury, with Kolli scoring his first senior goals in the 3-0 win against Norwich City.

Koki Saito has arguably been the team’s most consistent performer alongside captain Steve Cook and goalkeeper Paul Nardi, and he has continued to thrive on the left of midfield in the absence of Ilias Chair. Paul Smyth’s industry on the other flank was finally rewarded with his spectacular goal in the draw at Bristol City last weekend.

It has not been perfect.

Smyth’s 65th-minute strike at Ashton Gate was Rangers’ first shot at goal in a game they were fortunate to get anything from, and there were plenty of grumbles from the stands when the scores were level at half-time in the eventual 2-0 win against a struggling Oxford United side, but few would have expected QPR to be in the position they currently find themselves in following that draw with Stoke.

While Celar and Kader Dembele will be absent until early springtime, Cifuentes should otherwise have a fully-fit squad to choose from by the time the New Year comes around, only adding to the sense of optimism a good run of results can bring.

Ever the realist, the QPR boss is still calling on the club to get to the bottom of the injury crisis that hampered the team’s progress throughout the autumn, and, as is the case for every head coach or manager, he would like new additions to his squad in January.

Given what he managed to achieve in such similar circumstances last season, all of the signs suggest Cifuentes is well on the way to making sure
Rangers are playing in the Championship this time next year.

PICTURES: ALAMY