QPR win over Blackburn will be extra sweet because of Marti Cifuentes factor | OneFootball

QPR moved ahead of former manager Martí Cifuentes in the Championship table with their 1-0 win over Blackburn

QPR not only moved into the top half of the Championship table with their 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers but they also jumped ahead of Martí Cifuentes’ struggling Leicester City side.

The Hoops sealed all three points with a 78th minute strike from Paul Smyth, earning the team a second victory in a row and improved their unbeaten run to three games.

This positive start to the busy festive period will feel all the sweeter because the London outfit are on the rise while their former manager is floundering at a rival club.

The Spaniard’s exit from Loftus Road at the end of last season left a sour taste after he had initially earned an impressive reputation for his work with the first team squad.

Cifuentes’ move to the Foxes was seen as a major step up that could match his ambitions for coaching, with the club just suffering relegation from the Premier League and eyeing an immediate return with a top two finish.

QPR aren’t missing Martí Cifuentes amid his Leicester struggles

QPR endured a rotten end to the previous campaign, with the side’s form taking a significant nosedive around March that derailed any hopes of a play-off push.

The Hoops earned just 12 points from their final 12 matches, including a failure to win any of their last six home fixtures.

This led to the team earning a disappointing 15th place finish, 12 points adrift of the top six after being within touching distance earlier in the campaign.

It was not an amicable split when Cifuentes didn’t even oversee the final fixture of the 2024/25 season, with the coach instead put on gardening leave as speculation around his future mounted.

He ultimately made the move to Leicester, while Julien Stéphan arrived at Loftus Road as his replacement.

The Frenchman had a slow start to life at QPR, with the team enduring injury issues to new signings like Kwame Poku, which led to the manager having to rethink his plans for the side at the very beginning of the season.

One point from their opening three games, which included a 7-1 loss to Coventry City, led to a negative outlook for the year ahead, but Stéphan has adjusted to these setbacks in the time since and the club are now on a strong trajectory.

With the likes of Poku and Jake Clarke-Salter potentially back in the side soon for this festive period, the mood around the team is a lot brighter now than it was earlier in the year.

Martí Cifuentes’ Leicester struggles will be welcome at QPR

Cifuentes’ time at Leicester has been far from plain sailing, and the Spaniard’s position at the King Power is now even in danger.

The Foxes are facing the threat of a points deduction, and have slipped to 15th in the table after a humiliating 3-0 loss away to Southampton midweek.

With Cifuentes back in 15th, QPR fans will be revelling in the decline of the Leicestershire outfit as their own team enjoys climbing back up the table.

Stéphan’s side should take a lot of confidence from their recent form, and there will be a growing belief that they can compete for a top six finish this season.

The fact Leicester are struggling will only boost that confidence, as they were one of the pre-season favourites to be in the mix for a top two spot.

Having two players of the calibre of Poku and Clarke-Salter back in the side could prove quite important when QPR host Cifuentes’ side on 20 December.

Given the pressure the 43-year-old is currently under, QPR supporters will be hoping they can land the final nail in the coffin of his tenure at Leicester, as they look to string together a run of wins to really push for the play-offs after their symbolic win over Blackburn.