"Signings were not made by him" - Marti Cifuentes' methods at QPR backed amid serious struggles | OneFootball

Marti Cifuentes has been backed to make QPR hard to beat once again after their struggles this season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes has been backed to get the team playing in the manner they did last season as they try to climb out of the relegation zone.

The R’s have endured a dismal season so far, with Cifuentes’ men bottom of the table and already five points from safety.

In truth, few saw this coming, as the Spaniard had worked wonders to keep QPR in the Championship in the previous campaign, where the team excelled during the final months and put in some very impressive performances.

QPR’s style of play under Marti Cifuentes

Those results were built on a solid defensive shape, but QPR were also effective going forward, with the 4-0 win over promotion-chasing Leeds United last season probably the high point of Cifuentes’ reign.

Yet, the R’s haven’t replicated that in the opening months of this season, although fan pundit Louis still has faith that the boss can get the side back to their best when he was asked by FLW about what he thinks of the the current style of play under Cifuentes.

“We haven’t seen it, but when Marti came in we saw how good we can be. Whether that’s playing the way he wants, or being a bit more rigid at the back, and looking like a solid unit as a whole.

“Last season, as well, when we played football, proper attacking, dynamic football in parts of games, we looked really, really good.

“It’s not working this season due to many things, such as recruitment and injuries, but I’m still a believer in Marti and the way he wants to play.

“I think that the majority of these signings were not made by him, and he has been given these players to work with, but if he had it his way, he’d be signing the players, or having much more influence on signings to ensure they fit the way he wants to play.

“You can’t go from last season, looking like a team who had a great defensive record, and played attacking football at times, to this season, where we look the total opposite - and that’s down to some of the players as well.

“I still like what Marti is trying to do, and I’ve said before that he can’t be stubborn, so he has to change things, and that should happen. But, we saw it last season, and I believe that he can do it again.

“A lot of the players just don’t look good in any system though, so he’s got a hard job on his hands!”

Marti Cifuentes must find the right formula quickly

QPR’s struggles this season have been a surprise because they looked so well drilled and organised after Cifuentes’ appointment.

But, as outlined above, they haven’t been able to build on that, and the new players clearly haven’t adapted to what he wants from them.

So, there’s now a focus on the manager, as he simply must make tweaks to find the right formula, otherwise he will lose his job.

QPR’s situation is very bleak right now, and whilst he does have credit in the bank, that won’t last forever, so Cifuentes must quickly get the side back to being hard to beat and difficult to score against as they look to grind out results.