Pressure ‘forced’ Ramsey’s style of play – Luongo

Massimo Luongo says training at QPR has been more lively following the sacking of Chris Ramsey as players look to impress interim boss Neil Warnock – and that the pressure to get results “forced” the direct tactics under Ramsey. 

The midfielder was speaking to the Australian media ahead of his country’s World Cup qualifiers against Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.

Luongo said he felt places were up for grabs at Loftus Road as the club hunts for a new permanent manager.

He said: “It’s all up in the air at the moment. We have got a big squad with a lot of depth, that’s probably the best thing about it.

“You go on with your schedule and routine [but] the next session is probably more lively as boys are trying to impress and smash people to get their positions.

“It’s a different set-up, a different kind of training and a little shift in the team obviously.

“Chris Ramsey had a lot of different styles in the way he coached because he was really involved in everything.”

Luongo admitted the demands placed on Ramsey to achieve promotion back to the Premier League, and the club’s poor defensive record early in the season, took its toll on the team’s playing style.

But he said the players were prepared to put in the work to climb the Championship table.

He added: “Our old manager was quite direct [tactically] and I think he was forced to be, with the pressure at the club to be up there and the goals we were conceding.

“To be honest, we are all used to it and if Warnock does the same I think we are well prepared.

“We have some of the best players in the Championship but it has to be a scrap sometimes and you have to offer a lot more than just technical ability.”