Ilias Chair situation at QPR is not helping Cifuentes' cause | OneFootball

Ilias Chair's poor form for Queens Park Rangers is not helping under pressure boss Marti Cifuentes

Queens Park Rangers are in a bad way during the November international break, and sit bottom of the Championship table, having managed to accumulate just 10 points from 15 games so far.

In fact, the R's have not won a league game since a 2-1 triumph over Luton Town all the way back in August, meaning that the Loftus Road faithful are left wondering where their side's next win may come from.

R's fans are used to seeing their side make a poor start to the season, as they sat 23rd in the table when current boss Marti Cifuentes took charge back in October 2023, following the sacking of Gareth Ainsworth.

But this time around, it is Cifuentes who is under pressure, after failing to win a Championship game in 11 attempts, while QPR have now conceded six goals in their last two games, as a 2-0 defeat at Leeds United followed a 4-1 home loss to Middlesbrough.

In fact, the pressure on the Spanish boss is now so great that, as per French outlet L'Equipe, the west London outfit are eyeing a move to appoint former Liverpool and Birmingham City defender Gregory Vignal as their new manager.

Vignal most recently managed Versailles, in the French third tier last season, while his only previous managerial experience came in Scotland, with the Rangers women's side in 2019/20.

Ilias Chair's performances are not helping Cifuentes

While Cifuentes must hold lots of responsibility for his side's diabolical form in the Championship so far this term, his star player Ilias Chair is not pulling his weight in the final third by any stretch of the imagination.

Last campaign, the R's beat the drop with a game to spare, and Chair played a key role towards his side's survival effort, as he scored seven goals as well as creating eight assists in 44 league appearances.

In fact, ever since returning from a 2018/19 loan spell with Stevenage, the attacking midfielder has been the go-to man for the Loftus Road outfit, and has managed at least 10 goal contributions in the Championship during every single season since 2019/20.

But this season, the Morocco international has been a mere shadow of his usual self, and has not managed a single goal or assist in seven second tier appearances and five starts.

Meanwhile, his FotMob statistics show that he has not even looked like scoring a league goal this campaign, as he has taken a total of just 11 shots, five of which have been on target, and has produced just 0.87 expected goals (xG).

However, the fact that Chair has not managed to make an assist this season is not entirely his fault, as he has produced 1.20 expected assists (xA), as well as creating 12 chances, as per FotMob.

So the fact that the 27-year-old has not produced an assist could be down to the fact that his teammates are also far from clinical, but his combined xG and xA total fewer than three potential goal contributions, which is not satisfactory.

Cifuentes needs Chair to start performing

QPR's success in recent years has hinged on the performances of Chair, who is not currently displaying the sort of form we have become accustomed to seeing from him at Loftus Road.

If the Morocco international does not start performing in a more clinical manner after the international break, it could spell big trouble for Cifuentes, with the R's seemingly already looking elsewhere.

An upcoming clash with fellow bottom-three side Cardiff City could be the perfect match for Chair to get himself back on form, while a negative result could cost Cifuentes his job.