Esquerdinha interview: Championship play-offs are 'main goal' for QPR as defender eyes special season | OneFootball

Exclusive: Brazilian ‘suffered’ during his first British winter and hopes to end the season at Wembley

Queens Park Rangers left-back Esquerdinha believes the Championship play-offs remain firmly in the club’s sights despite a difficult start to the new year.

“Definitely, the play-offs are the main goal,” Esquerdinha tells Standard Sport. “One step at a time, and not rushing, but that is the goal.”

The Brazilian full-back, signed from Fluminense on Deadline Day last year, has been coming to terms with the harsh realities of winter in England.

The cold snap that routinely engulfs the country at this time of year can be difficult for those unaccustomed to its chill, and the teenager admits he has struggled as the nights have grown shorter and the temperature has plummeted.

Esquerdinha has settled in well in west London

Ian Randall Photography

“I’m trying to get used to it all,” he continued.

“It’s my first winter I’ve spent here. I suffered a little, but I think I’m getting used to it well.”

“There is [also an] adaptation to the style of play, but I am getting used to it, bit by bit, in terms of intensity and strength.

“When I arrived, I wasn’t very strong, but I have been working hard to try and improve my strength and resistance.”

Esquerdinha, who has made 11 Championship appearances this season, credits QPR’s “close-knit” squad and the hands-on approach of manager Julien Stephan with helping him settle in London.

I’m improving well, I had difficulty when I arrived

Esquerdinha

Stephan has a reputation for nurturing young talent, having brought the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Eduardo Camavinga through during his time at Ligue 1 side Rennes.

Despite the language barrier, he has worked hard with Esquerdinha to nurture the defensive side of his game, while the strength and conditioning team has prepared the full-back physically for the Championship.

“My relationship with him [Stephan] is very good. He always tries to give me advice to improve my game,” Esquerdinha said.

“However, as sometimes I don’t understand due to language difficulties, he tries to show me a lot in videos. But I speak well with him and his assistant [Alou Diarra], and I get on with them.

“They always try to get the best out of me on the pitch. I have been improving well, and they’ve been helping me to do so.

Esquerdinha has sights on a trip to Wembley

Ian Randall Photography

“I’ve started to understand the team’s formation better, as I had difficulty with it when I arrived. He helped me a lot, showing me videos on it and how to defend.

“I always liked attacking, but he was showing me videos to show when to attack and when to defend. I have learned a lot from him, and I am improving bit by bit, and I think you can see that if you watch our games.”

QPR have placed an emphasis on giving young players a platform to perform, and Esquerdinha is slowly but surely maturing; not only as a player but also as a person.

The young defender enjoys “healthy competition” with left-back Rhys Norrington-Davies, who has helped him with his positioning.

There is a collective spirit under Stephan that will stand QPR in good stead in the final months of the season, and Esquerdinha is part of a vibrant, hungry core of players determined to deliver sustainable success in west London.