‘Extremely direct…all about long balls’: QPR boss brands Portsmouth route one side after falling at Fratton

The QPR boss branded the Blues ‘extremely direct’, as the Londoners succumbed to a 2-1 defeat at Fratton Park.

Cifuentes admitted the R’s struggled to contend with the intensity of John Mousinho’s side, as they extended the gap to Championship safety to nine points.

The head coach saw his side fail to contend with a ferocious Pompey start to the second half, as two goals in three minutes from Josh Murphy and Matt Ritchie made the difference. Cifuentes felt QPR couldn’t deal with the Blues in that period, but it was his side trying to play football.

He told QPR’s https://www.qpr.co.uk/news/2025/february/22/cifuentes-post-portsmouth/website: ‘It was a disappointing performance, I would say, a disappointing result.

‘We knew we were coming to play against a team that is extremely direct. It's all about long balls, about second balls. We had to match the intensity at the same time that we wanted to impose our style, putting the ball on the ground and trying to create. It was certainly very difficult.

‘It’s a small pitch and we couldn't find the space to break through the pressure. Then the game became, especially during the first half, a lot of up and downs, second balls, not the kind of style that we would like to have. But the team, I think, competed well in the first half.

‘Then, unfortunately, a bad start to the second was very costly for us, because I think that we had good periods, some good periods after that, and perhaps we could get something else with the two or three clear chances that we got.

‘I think that they (Portsmouth) are a team that is good at creating momentum with their supporters, with the fans at home, and they have fantastic home form in the last 10, 11 games. So we knew that it was very important, that mental side of the game, to make sure that even if it was a mistake, that we're still in the game - that we were very switched on because they can accelerate every throw-in in the last zone, every corner kick to put pressure on the opposition.

‘I think that the style of the second half was definitely not at the standards that we need, especially in a team that has experienced players, and we need to make sure that we get better in the future.’

‘These kind of scenarios’

Cifuentes explained how his team selection for Pompey factored into deal with the pressures that playing at Fratton Park brings.

He added: ‘We were thinking during the week whether we should change the starting XI or not (from last week’s win over Derby). We thought that Smythy (Paul Smyth) is more experienced in these kinds of scenarios and we wanted to protect Yang (Min Hyeok), give him this second half where usually there is more space. I think his impact was very good in those 35 minutes that he played.’

READ MORE: ‘Carnage’: The shining light as Portsmouth count QPR injury cost