Martí Cifuentes admitted QPR’s “bad performance” against Derby County, blaming both goals for their 2-0 defeat at Pride Park.
Curtis Nelson and Marcus Harness combined for a quick double to seal the victory for the Rams, who have won four of their five Championship games at Pride Park this season. Nelson’s opening goal came from a set piece, and Cifuentes confessed he was fully aware of the Rams’ threat from deadball scenarios. Despite efforts to contain their threat, Nelson climbed unmarked before Harness scored a superb second only a minute later.
And QPR manager Cifuentes stated: “We didn’t defend the corner well (for the first goal), and we lost the ball shortly after the kick-off in a difficult-to-understand manner, but we must accept it.
“We focused on defensive corner kicks in a very precise way for this game since we knew Derby was good last season and this season. It was their fifth set-piece goal, demonstrating their proficiency in the area. Last season, they scored 15 or more goals off set pieces. My duty is not to point fingers, but to help the players realize what we want and need. The management is always ultimately responsible.
“It wasn’t a good performance; I need to help the guys perform to their full potential. I’m not here to point fingers; mistakes are part of the game, but we can do far better. There are some things we need to work on; I’m not satisfied, and no manager in the world would be happy after three defeats in a row, but there is still plenty of time for us to progress as a team.
“Now is the time to stick together – as a club, we took certain decisions in the summer regarding the player profile, and many acquisitions come from other leagues; the club understood it would take time, and it is my responsibility to ensure it works as soon as possible. We need to be extremely clear about what we need to improve (during the international break), and I am confident we will. I understand the fans’ dissatisfaction; they are right to be unhappy at the moment because we lost in a horrible performance.”
