Cifuentes ‘very confident’ he will lead QPR away from trouble

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes insists he is “very confident” he will lead the club away from trouble despite their winless run continuing with a goalless draw with Bristol City at Loftus Road.

City defended well in their first match under Liam Manning following his recent arrival from Oxford United as successor to Nigel Pearson.

Cifuentes can take some encouragement from his team’s display in his first home game at the helm.

But Rangers have now gone 11 matches without a win, continue to struggle to create clear-cut chances and remain one off the bottom of the Championship table, having won only once at home in more than a year.

Cifuentes “There are mixed feelings. Unfortunately we couldn’t deliver the victory. It was not the result we wanted but I am looking forward to building the togetherness I saw today. I think we can be really strong in the future.

“Despite the result – my job is to make sure that we start to win games – I do think it’s a step in the right direction.

“I see a stable team and one that is striving to have a clear identity – how they want to play from the back and have the courage to pass the ball.

“The identity of the team is starting to show. I feel we are taking steps but we have to be critical and say it hasn’t been enough to win games.”

Cifuentes has employed a radically different style of play to the route-one tactics of his predecessor Gareth Ainsworth​, who presided over six consecutive defeats prior to his recent sacking.

Rangers have returned to a passing style and Cifuentes is convinced it will pay off.

“Over time I’m very confident that this style of play can give us the results we’re looking for,” said the Spaniard.

“I do think that we have the tools inside the squad to play the football we want ​to and I’m very confident that this will give us the results we want.”