Ahead of Sunderland’s trip to Loftus Road on Saturday we catch up with Hoopsa to get all the details on QPR.
F1879: QPR have picked up one win, six draws and five defeats so far this season. A difficult start perhaps but we saw towards the latter half of the last campaign just what could be possible under Marti Cifuentes. Over the longer term, how do you see this season going?
There was a lot of optimism around this season after how well Cifuentes turned us around last year. We were 23rd and six points adrift when he joined, and come the end of the season we were beating Leeds 4-0 at home. That led many to be hopeful that we’d be in the top half of the table – some even thought we could be outsiders for the Play-offs. I tipped us for 15th, but we’ve started poorer than even I’d expected. I don’t want to be too reactionary, but with one win from 12 I fear we might be in another relegation battle…
F1879: Since his arrival in October 2023 Cifuentes has a 36.36 win % and was a name many Sunderland supporters would have been happy to see arrive on Wearside over the summer before Régis Le Bris joined. Can you tell us a little bit about the mood music on the terraces around their current relationship with Cifuentes?
There’s still a lot of support for Cifuentes. We were dead and buried before he joined last season and we would have been relegated without him, so there’s still a lot of goodwill in the bank. The only thing that’s chipping away at that right now is he’s tried to implement a different style of football to last season – predominantly based around building from the back, which our squad just can’t handle. The general consensus is that he’ll need to go back to basics, just as he did when he first took over from Ainsworth. With that said, the collective view is also that our summer ‘data signings’, spearheaded by CEO Christian Nourry, hasn’t been good enough, so that gives Cifuentes another excuse amongst the fans for now.
F1879: Cifuentes once said, “I always felt that when we grew up playing football, we wanted to have the ball at our feet not to be going around chasing it. That principle of being proactive should never change.” How do you see his brand of football evolving now? Has his style of play changed much since last season?
When Cifuentes first arrived he spoke about Barcelona, 433 and Johan Cruyff. It was very clear the kind of football he wanted to play. Soon enough, he realised that a QPR squad that poor couldn’t do it. The 433 turned into a 4231, we mixed up short and long balls, and the jewel in our crown was a rock-solid defence that conceded very few from open play. In essence, he had to compromise on his ideologies and that pragmatism paid off with our survival.
This season, he’s obviously earned the right to implement how he truly wants to play, but it’s not worked. We don’t have a backline capable of playing it out from the back without making mistakes, and our central midfield has been for the most part non-existent.
F1879: What formation/tactics do you think Cifuentes will use against Sunderland?
We still use the 4231 that kept us up last season, but away at Burnley we had our backs against the wall and had just two shots in the entire game. That earned us a valuable point on the road, but it won’t wash at home if we try and park the bus against Sunderland. Cifuentes is also not that kind of manager. The elephant in the room will be whether he decides to finally scrap the slow playing out from the back or not.
F1879: Who do you think will be in QPR’s starting XI?
Paul Nardi is our number one in goal and has been a good shotstopper this season despite our poor record. Our back four will likely be Jimmy Dunne at RB, Jake Clarke-Salter and Steve Cook at CB, and either Morgan Fox or Newcastle loanee Harrison Ashby at LB (he’s traditionally a RB, but Kenneth Paal is injured, and Ashby slotted in there at Burnley).
In central midfield we’ve paired Sam Field and Jonathan Varane over the past two games, with the latter helping bolster an area of the pitch we’ve been torn through for the majority of the season since his return against Coventry. The three behind the striker will likely be loanee Koki Saito, Ilias Chair and either Karamoko Dembele or Paul Smyth. Dembele was absent from the Burnley squad last weekend but the extent of that injury is unclear.
Finally, up top, it will be Žan Celar. Our top scorer Michael Frey is injured, and so right now we’re forced to start a forward who has done very little to endear himself to the fans so far.
F1879: Who have been the standout players so far this season for The Hoops and which ones should Sunderland be most concerned about?
Koki Saito has been really impressive. He’s agile, explosive and always looks to drive forward when on the ball, and he’s skinned a few fullbacks this season so I think a goal is coming for him soon. Dembele also has three goals and an assist for a QPR team that’s been pretty poor overall, so if he’s available, he’ll likely be involved in any chances we create.
F1879: Which Sunderland player do you think QPR fans will be most concerned about going into match?
Romaine Mundle or Patrick Roberts. Every single team that has come to Loftus Road has pushed us wide and exploited our full-backs, and given wingers are so integral to Sunderland’s style of play, I fear they’re in for a field day.
F1879: Which specific QPR player do you think Sunderland should be most worried about at the weekend any why?
I’m going to go for Steve Cook. He was a man possessed against Burnley and prevented some almost certain goals. When it’s his day, alongside Jake Clarke-Salter we can be very hard to break down. We’ve not seen that so much this season, but the fact we’ve tightened up over the last two matches makes me hopeful that we’ve got the Cook of old back.
F1879: Where do you predict Sunderland and QPR will finish in the league?
Sunderland have started like a house on fire, and winning breeds confidence. It’s a long old season though and the parachute payment clubs will throw as much money at it as they need to in January if they aren’t where they need to be. I’ll go for 3rd. For QPR, I’m revising my pre-season shout of 15th to a consecutive 18th place finish.
Thanks to Conor. Follow him on X.
