The revolution at Queens Park Rangers has been swift and effective. In a little over a month, the stink of Gareth Ainsworth’s time at Loftus Road has been washed away and the Martí Cifuentes era is off to a flying start.
Two wins in four days last week has ignited a sense of belief that the season is anything but over for the West London outfit. Statement victories over Stoke and Preston has seen QPR find the back of the net six times, a tally equal to the number of goals scored in the final two months of Ainsworth’s tenure.
Despite sitting four points adrift of safety, The Hoops look a side capable of taking on anyone and getting a result. Saturday afternoon sees them host a Hull City team enjoying a successful season but with a chip on their shoulder after a disappointing weekend.
A 2-1 loss at the hands of Watford courtesy of a stunning 50-yard lob and a missed penalty saw Hull fans walk away from the match feeling rightfully aggrieved about how things had panned out. The Tigers will be eager to bounce back with a win but any notion that bringing back all three points will be a simple task is far from the truth.
The Opposition
Since arriving in the capital, Martí Cifuentes has wasted no time stamping his authority on his new side. Born and raised in Barcelona, Cifuentes brings the Catalonian philosophy to Loftus Road, ditching Ainsworth’s 3-5-2 for a far more eye catching 4-3-3.
The most striking feature of this tactical shift is the changing profile of QPR’s wide players. Under Ainsworth, the width came from wingbacks, expected to produce on both ends of the pitch. Relying on these players to fulfil both attacking and defensive duties left them doing neither particularly well much to the detriment of the whole team.
Cifuentes has addressed this issue by instructing his wingers to stay high and wide whilst moving Ainsworth’s wingbacks into deeper defensive roles. This change in shape has seen QPR’s most creative players move from the midfield to the wings and create more chances as a result.
QPR manager Marti Cifuentes (QPR)
Whilst Gareth Ainsworth’s Hoops managed just two wins and eight points from fourteen games, Cifuentes has kicked his team into gear and matched his predecessor’s record after just five matches.
Most impressive has been the uptick in goalmouth action for QPR. In Cifuentes’ five games at the helm, his side have found the back of the net on seven occasions, a clear improvement from Gareth Ainsworth’s team that scored less than a goal a game.
With less than half of the season gone, there is every possibility that Cifuentes will be able to guide QPR not just out of the relegation zone but into the upper reaches of the Championship table and beyond.
Team News
QPR
Boasting one of the smallest squads in the league, QPR have done well so far to avoid anything of a major injury crisis so far this season.
Cifuentes reported prior to the game that midfielder Jack Colback had taken a big knock and could be a doubt for this weekend. The silver lining for Hoops fans is the return of youngster Sinclair Armstrong who will be back after missing the last two games to injury.
Thanks to playing on Friday night last week, Marti Cifuentes’ men have been afforded an extra day’s rest however, with the Spaniard yet to settle on a best eleven, rotation will be likely for this tie.
Hull City
Liam Rosenior has once again come away from a two game week unscathed and was happy to report no new injuries going into the visit to West London.
The only ongoing issues are those to Ruben Vinagre and Dogukan Sinik. Whilst the former is making good progress and should be back in the next couple of weeks, the Hull boss conceded that his Turkish teammate is currently receiving treatment in his home country and is “still some way off it at the moment”.
Both Regan Slater and Adama Traore have returned from injury with relative ease, building back their fitness and getting some much needed minutes under the belts over recent weeks. Whilst neither look ready to unseat any starters, their influence off the bench cannot be understated.
Predicted Lineups
QPR
Begovic; Paal, Clarke-Salter, Cook, Cannon; Dozzell, Field, Wilock; Chair, Dykes, Smyth.
(4-3-3)
Hull City
Allsop; Coyle, Greaves, Jones, Christie; Seri, Morton, Philogene, Lokilo; Twine, Delap.
(4-2-3-1)
Players to Watch
Ilias Chair
Previously held back by Ainsworth’s system, Ilias Chair looks a man reborn under his new coach. The Moroccan registered two assists off the bench during last Friday’s victory over Preston with each of his contributions seeing him isolate his man out wide before delivering an inch perfect pass to a teammate in the box.
It was under Cifuentes’ tenure that Chair also bagged his first goal of the season, netting in a 1-0 victory over Rotherham back in November. Beyond it being a lovely, curled effort from the 26-year-old, the strike epitomised what QPR’s new manager is attempting to bring to Loftus Road.
Ilias Chair celebrates scoring against Rotherham United (QPR)
The goal starts with a neat one-two between Chair and his left sided compatriot, Kenneth Paal who pushes forward to create space for the winger on the edge of the box. It is this overload in the wide areas that creates the chance and ultimately gives QPR the win. Under Ainsworth, Paal would be isolated out wide with Chair too central to offer support. With Cifuentes at the helm, the winger and fullback work in tandem and as a result get the best out of each other.
Going into the game on Saturday, Chair will be the one to watch out for. Offering a similar profile of player to Hull star Jaden Philogene, the Moroccan is a talent capable of winning games singlehandedly. Where he differs from Philogene is his superior eye for a pass, making him even more of an unpredictable assignment for any defender.
Liam Delap
Despite being in arguably the best form of his professional career, there is a good chance that Liam Delap feels a little bit left out at the minute. The past two weeks have seen both Tyler Morton and Scott Twine open their accounts for the season whilst the Englishman has failed to find the back of the net.
Over the last four games, Delap has scored just once from sixteen shots, seven of which have been on target. From this, it only seems a matter of time until he is on the scoresheet again and if luck is on his side, there is every chance that he will get a bagful this weekend.
Liam Delap celebrates scoring against Huddersfield (Hull City)
Up against a QPR that concede an average of two goals a game at Loftus Road, Delap has likely had this fixture earmarked for a while as one where he can run riot. Whilst the arrival of Cifuentes has brought about two clean sheets from five games, a player with the quality and hunger of Delap will always be a likely candidate to notch.
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