Cifuentes hails Willock after QPR victory
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes insists he never doubted Chris Willock would rediscover his best form.
The rejuvenated Willock scored the opener in Rangers’ 2-0 win at home to Hull City – a thumping strike from near the edge of the penalty area.
It was his third goal in as many matches and his team’s third win in a row.
They have lost just one of their six matches since Cifuentes replaced the sacked Gareth Ainsworth.
Previously Rangers’ talisman, Willock was shunned by Ainsworth, while fellow playmaker Ilias Chair, who scored the all-important second goal against the Tigers, also found the going tough under the former boss.
“He (Willock) showed the quality he has. But I’m not surprised – I said from day one that Chris and Ilias will be very important for us,” said Cifuentes.
“I’m pleased about Chris recovering a smile, because I felt he was a bit low on confidence.
“That was very natural when a player has not been playing for a while. Now he is playing at a level where it’s not easy to take the ball from him and he’s also working hard when we don’t have the ball.
“He’s starting to be decisive for us in the last third and I think he is a player that, with his quality and potential, he can score more than he has done earlier in his career.”
Asked how he has helped Willock get back to his best, Cifuentes replied: “Give him minutes and give him confidence. And give him game scenarios where we think he is going to be good.
“It’s not a secret. If you have good players and you put them on the ball and put them high up the pitch, then things are going to happen. When those players are close to the goal it’s difficult to stop them.”
Hull boss Liam Rosenior admitted his team were punished for their mistakes.
Willock’s goal, scored in first-half stoppage time, came after the visitors had lost possession.
Back-to-back defeats have seen the Tigers drop out of the play-off places following an excellent start to the campaign.
And Rosenior said: “We’ve made a lot of progress, but the next step for this team is to be pragmatic in key moments and understand the context of the game.
“At that point of the game we had complete control and then gave them a goal. It was a great finish from Willock but it comes from our possession.
“A goal just before half-time changes everything in terms of QPR’s confidence levels and energy from the crowd.”
The second goal came after Hull keeper Ryan Allsop had been pressured by Sinclair Armstrong, with Willock collecting the resulting loose ball and teeing up Chair for a cool finish.
Rosenior said: “I ask my team to play, but at that moment we’re on top – just kick the ball and if it goes out for a throw-in then we reorganise and get control of the game again.
“What I will never do is blame players for mistakes. But what I will do is demand from them that we learn from the mistakes.
“There’s so much good in the way we play, if we iron out those mistakes then we’re in a really good place.
“This is the understanding of where we are as a team. We’re a young team that have to learn on the job. But the basis of our play is very good.”
10/12/2023 @ 4:57 pm
I for one am confident that the manager knows plenty of up and coming spanish youngsters who would jump at the chance of joining QPR. I could never understand how the current squad (even with the few better additions) could go from top of the league to bottom so quickly within a season – now we know.
10/12/2023 @ 3:05 pm
Further to my comments on previous moan, hopefully there are players that Marti has worked with and with further coaching and game time could thrive with the opportunity to play for a London club with ambitions and not cost us a fortune on signings and wages but be willing to give longer contracts a descent wage so we do not loose gems for nothing and sell when it suits us, do it the Brighton way a conveyor belt of stars every year. Hope our scouts are going to be looking outside uk. A young quality goalkeeper for the future to learn from the excellent one we have now. Maybe keep him on as a coach later.
10/12/2023 @ 10:28 am
Hopefully Marti will have a few players in mind from his overseas experiences let’s pick up a centre half a holding midfielder and a couple of forwards to revitalise the squad and players for the future at reasonable costs.
Also let’s forget non scoring forwards from elsewhere because that’s worked out well for us so far I don’t think so!!
09/12/2023 @ 8:21 pm
…and treat him like an adult. What sort of reaction would be expected after being slagged off for not trying. I hope you were watching closely Mr Ainsworth – you might have learned something.