According to Rangers manager Marti Cifuentes, QPR beat Luton Town on penalties in the EFL Cup second round thanks to practice on the training field.
After a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road, Rangers converted all four of their penalty penalties. Joe Walsh, the goalkeeper, stopped Cauley Woodrow’s attempt, but Tahith Chong’s attempt struck the crossbar for the visitors.
Additionally, Cifuentes believes that part of the success was due to regular penalty-taking during training.
He remarked, “We play internal competition with the players, which is why we take a lot of penalties.”
“We take penalties whenever a small-sided game ends in a draw.
“They were really good shots, and Walshy made a good save, but the pressure is not the same here as it is at the training ground.”
“In the last moments of the match, I was with Xavi [Calm, assistant head coach]. He was making the list [of those who would take penalties] and could see what was happening.
“I’ve accomplished a great deal in the past. Unfortunately, my findings are inconsistent. In Sweden, we lost a cup final despite my meticulous preparation of every little detail.
“We asked the players if they were confident, and they did great, but we didn’t prepare as deeply as that.”
One of the night’s heroes was Luton’s backup goalkeeper Walsh, who turned aside former Fulham striker Woodrow’s first penalty kick to give his team the advantage.
In open play, the 22-year-old has already made some outstanding stops against Carlton Morris and Elijah Adebayo, and Cifuentes was happy to see that he was continuing to improve.
“I’m thrilled for him,” he remarked. Asmir Begovic and Jordan Archer, two seasoned goalkeepers, have been assisting him since I arrived at QPR last season.
They significantly aided in his development. He made significant progress, which is why we desired to extend his contract. That he’s here makes me very happy.
“I’ve been watching his performances since the preseason, and he was really cool and collected at Coventry [during the season’s last game] last year.
“I think he is an excellent goalkeeper, and having him and Paul [Nardi] in the goal is very nice.”
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