Man Utd display can provide spark for QPR player under Marti Cifuentes: View | OneFootball

Joe Willock was one of the scorers as Newcastle United eliminated Manchester United from the EFL Cup.

Willock netted the third of three goals for Eddie Howe’s side as they worsened the mood even further at Old Trafford.

Miguel Almiron and Lewis Hall were the first two players to beat Andre Onana and the fine finish from one Willock could inspire another.

Chris Willock and Queens’ Park Rangers are in quite the lull so he will be hoping to learn from his brother’s brilliance under new manager Marti Cifuentes.

Joe Willock hit the ground running when he first joined Newcastle but the increased investment has gone against him.

Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are the two big-money arrivals in the middle of the park although the former is of course banned for a lengthy period of time.

This season so far, Willock has managed just one Champions League appearance and one Premier League appearance with this EFL Cup start being his first in all competitions in 2023/24.

It didn’t look that way when he strode forward out of midfield and fired the ball low and hard into a very small pocket in the bottom corner.

How the QPR faithful would love to see his brother Chris pull this off for them in the leadup to Christmas.

Can Chris Willock step up for QPR?

Chris Willock has scored 16 and assisted 18 in his 114 outings in a Rangers’ shirt with his best return for a campaign being 18 contributions in the 2021/22 season.

The following year, his numbers dropped to six goals and two assists as his side just about avoided relegation and now this time around, he is yet to get involved.

Willock has made six of his nine appearances off of the bench, totalling 234 minutes and so he clearly wasn’t in favour under the stewardship of Gareth Ainsworth.

Ainsworth, who previously managed Wycombe Wanderers, has been relieved of his duties at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium now with QPR in 23rd, their record being two wins, two draws and an abysmal 10 defeats.

The team have managed a measly 10 goals in the Championship and when a defender is leading the scoring charts, in this case Kenneth Paal, then you know something isn’t right.

Sinclair Armstrong and Lyndon Dykes have one goal apiece whereas Willock and Ilias Chair are yet to get off of the mark, yet these are some supremely capable attacking players.

Ainsworth’s style of play went against the abilities of his squad in truth, especially when compared to Michael Beale who was in charge between June and November of 2022.

“Willock is one I’d love to see more of and for him to actually produce moments again” are the words of FLW’s QPR fan pundit Lois Moir and they also gave an assessment of what they’ve seen from the 25-year-old thus far this season here.

His dribble numbers have been cut in half whilst Willock has gone from taking 1.7 shots per 90 to just 0.2.

This is what he is good at and this is what he brings to the table for QPR so he needs to be playing more and when given those opportunities, he needs to pick the ball up more often so that he can work his magic.

There are plenty of games still to go and QPR certainly have the quality to remain in the division ahead of a Huddersfield Town for example.

The hope is that Cifuentes can get the likes of Willock and Chair firing again so as to retain their Championship status.