Queens Park Rangers could have all but sealed their Championship status with a win against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, but it would be the Owls who would come out on top, leaving Loftus Road with all three points after a 2-0 victory.
It was a rather flat performance from the R’s, who struggled to break down a resolute Wednesday defence. Having won their last two, hopes were high for another three points, yet it is now back to the drawing board for Martí Cifuentes and his coaching staff.
The result leaves QPR just four points above the relegation places in what is still a wide open relegation scrap. Despite sitting 17th, they’re still within touching distance of both Birmingham City in 22nd and the aforementioned Sheffield Wednesday in 23rd with just five games left to go. Although four teams sit between them and the relegation spots, the job is not yet done.
For the Owls, it was a must-win game, as a loss would’ve seen them sit four points from safety. They played like a side who knew that it was indeed a game of that nature, something that potentially cannot be said for the hosts.
After recent positive performances, complacency may well have set in for the Cifuentes’ side, with the manager suggesting that his players were potentially not in the right mindset going into the clash.
Speaking to The Star, Cifuentes gave an honest assessment of the performance.
“I’m very disappointed, especially with myself as well, I didn’t prepare my team well enough for the kind of game I knew it would be. We were not good at all. I was very disappointed about the result and the game. A very disappointing game.”
“We tried during the whole week to get the guys to understand it was a very difficult game, probably the most difficult of the season. It looked like Sheffield Wednesday were playing for their lives. Unfortunately, I was not good enough to convinve my players that today needed this kind of intensity.
“The quality of the game was poor, I want my squad to put the ball on the ground and try to play but they plays in a very aggressive way in terms of basing everything on counter-pressing and trying to destroy the game of the opponent. We didn’t understand what was required and that’s disappointing. Perhaps today I didn’t prepare the team well enough to understand this is required.”
Writer’s View
All of the recent hard work done by both Cifuentes and his players seems to be undone with one poor performance. Although it isn’t necessarily back to square one, it was a worrying result for the R’s. They do however have the opportunity to bounce back quickly on Tuesday night as they travel to fellow strugglers Plymouth Argyle.
Three points would most likely be enough to keep them afloat this season, especially with the Pilgrims being one of their direct rivals in the relegation fight. A reaction is certainly needed and with the job that Cifuentes has done in recent months, it can be expected.
