"No better" - Glowing QPR verdict issued on Marti Cifuentes and "unsung hero" | OneFootball

FLW's QPR fan pundit has praised head coach Marti Cifuentes for the determination he has showed since arriving at Loftus Road.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Queens Park Rangers have been a club transformed since the arrival of head coach Marti Cifuentes last season.

Cifuentes made the move from Swedish side Hammarby to take over at Loftus Road in October 2023, replacing Gareth Ainsworth, and he arrived with QPR sitting 23rd in the Championship table, six points from safety.

Few gave the R's any chance of survival at that point, but Cifuentes inspired a remarkable turnaround, and after an excellent second half of the season, he led the club to an 18th-placed finish last term.

Cifuentes was linked with the Burnley and Sunderland jobs in the summer, but he remained loyal to the Hoops, and despite an underwhelming start to the season, he signed a new contract at the club in September.

QPR sat bottom of the table in mid-November after winning just one of their first 16 league games of the campaign, but after a significant improvement in recent months, they now sit 13th in the table, four points from the play-off places.

Marti Cifuentes praised for QPR commitment

When asked to pick one word to describe Cifuentes, FLW's QPR fan pundit Louis Moir said the word determined summed up the 42-year-old, praising him for his commitment to driving the club forward over the past 15 months.

"If I was to sum up Marti Cifuentes in one word, I would say determined," Louis said.

"I think since he's come to the club, you sense that he's so eager to do well.

"Especially at the beginning, he had to work with the players he had available to him, and he was eager to put his stamp on things, but he was also willing to change up the way we played last season in order to survive.

"In aspects of certain games last season, we performed to a high level, and I think that shows his ability as a manager and his overall drive to succeed for the club and everyone within it - players, fans and owners.

"There is a real sense of a feel good factor, and that stems from him.

"It's his manner of how he goes about things, every time he speaks, he speaks well, and would never throw a player under the bus or anything like that.

"I just think determination is the key to his success as a manager so far.

"When we're doing well, things really do tick, and that comes from him and his assistant Xavi Calm, who is probably a bit of an unsung hero with the way we set up in certain games, especially from set pieces.

"Cifuentes is 100% determined, eager and really wants to see this club do well again, and there's no better man for the job really."

QPR may soon face another battle to keep hold of Marti Cifuentes

It is difficult to disagree with Louis that Cifuentes has shown plenty of determination during his time at QPR, particularly given the bleak situation he inherited when he arrived.

There were some question marks over Cifuentes after the poor start to this season, and it was even claimed in November that the R's were considering replacing him with French coach Gregory Vignal, but given the way his side have climbed the table in the subsequent months, the club will certainly be relieved they stayed loyal.

The Hoops' impressive recent form is unlikely to have gone unnoticed by other clubs, and it would be no surprise to see Cifuentes attract interest from elsewhere once again in the summer, but having only recently signed a new contract, he certainly seems committed to the project at Loftus Road.