Playing Morgan Fox at left-back in QPR’s 1-0 victory over Swansea City on Easter Monday never worried Marti Cifuentes.
Fox, a product of the Charlton academy, played a lot of full-back positions at the Valley, but this season, he has only been employed as a central defender for QPR, where he earned his first league start since September in South Wales.
Rangers essentially fielded four center backs with Jimmy Dunne starting at right back as Steve Cook’s goal in the second half gave them a crucial three points.
“Throughout his career, Fox has predominantly played as a left full-back rather than a center-half,” clarified Cifuentes, who had to step in for regular left-back Kenneth Paal because of illness.
Even though we have primarily used him as a center-half, he is capable of playing well in both positions.
“Knowing that he has been in a good place, playing and training so well, was more important to us than anything else. He has been providing us with excellent minutes from the bench.
“With so many crosses in the game, it was a great opportunity to use him, as we could have anticipated.” We need all players in the numerous games.
We felt there were many reasons to give Fox the chance he deserves because Ken Pal has been playing an absurd amount of minutes—among the most of any outfield player on the squad.
The victory at Swansea occurred just one day after Manchester City and Arsenal, the two teams vying for the Premier League crown, neutralized each other with comparable defensive strategies.
As City won four major championships last season, Pep Guardiola also frequently started four center backs in defense. However, Cifuentes disclosed that his strategy went beyond just mimicking his fellow Catalan.
When asked about the tactical trend’s recent surge in popularity, Cifuentes chuckled, saying, “If Pep does it and he always wins, then the rest want to do the same.”
It doesn’t always operate in the same way. Jokes aside, though, I believe the key is to make use of the players’ abilities.
“For us, Fox has primarily played center back, but he spent the majority of his career at left back.” He can think of himself as a different kind of left full-back than Ken.
“A different kind of full-back is Ken. He is more of an inverted player and a passing full-back.
“Larkeche, Ziyad, is a very deep full-back. Ken is more upside-down. Fox is presumably more of a full-back who plays defense.
“Among the strikers, we have the incredibly quick Sinclair Armstrong. Mike [Frey] is more of a target in the box profile, and Lyndon [Dykes] is somewhere in the middle, capable of doing a little bit of everything.
“I believe it is about making the most of the athletes’ skills. Sometimes, especially whether we win or lose, we make the correct choices, and it works out. I’m a lousy coach, so move on to the next one. That’s the reality.
“I think highly of teams. In the long run, a single play can sometimes win a game if you’re lucky and have good players, but over the course of a 46-game season, I think it’s more important to have a strong team and engage everyone.
“[You] must realize that everyone is here for a purpose, and if they are prepared to contribute, there will come a time when we require different abilities.
“I enjoy this aspect of coaching, but what I really love is the sense of unity this can foster within the team.”
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