Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes is refusing to rest on his laurels, despite his side appearing to be well clear of the relegation battle.
The Hoops have picked up four points over the past week with a 3-1 win over Oxford United on Tuesday night following a 0-0 draw against Cardiff City last weekend. This has seen them move up to 15th in the table, easing their relegation fears in the process.
Despite six teams sitting between them and 22nd-placed Cardiff City, the gap remains just seven points. However, with only five games remaining, it would take a giant turn of events to see the Londoners drop into League One.
They host play-off hopefuls Bristol City at Loftus Road tomorrow, where three points could all but guarantee their safety.
“Job Is Not Done” – Cifuentes Remains Cautious
Ahead of tomorrow’s game, Cifuentes is still cautious that his side could be dragged back into the relegation conversation. As such, he has set two targets, first reaching 50 points then beating last season’s tally of 56 points. Speaking to BBC Radio London, the Spaniard said:
“First target (is) to reach the 50 points. Second target is to see if we can improve on last season in what has been an extremely challenging season so far.
“The target is always to try to be better than what we were yesterday, let’s see if we can get those three points for our fans.
“The job is not done and no matter what, we want to finish in a good way the season.”
Writer’s View
Whilst it is still mathematically possible, Cifuentes will continue with his public view that they are still involved in a relegation battle. However, he surely must think they have done enough to retain their Championship status next season. They need just one more point to reach the magic 50 point mark, although it is worth taking into account that Birmingham City were relegated with 50 points last season. The difference here is QPR’s league position. With so many teams still below them, it is highly unlikely that they will all do enough to surge up the table. The Hoops do have a tough run-in, starting with tomorrow’s visit of Bristol City. Aside from that, they do still have to play the likes of Burnley and Sunderland.
