Why QPR manager wanted to protect Yang Min-hyeok

Queens Park Rangers (QPR) manager Marti Cifuentes explained why he did not start Yang Min-hyeok in the match against Portsmouth.

QPR lost 1-2 to Portsmouth in the 34th round of the 2024-2025 England Championship (2nd division) at Fretton Park in Portsmouth. With this loss, QPR failed to continue the momentum of their great victory against Derby County.

Yang Min-hyeok started the match on the bench. Yang Min-hyeok was substituted in the second half and showed a decent performance. Yang Min-hyeok, who recorded his first assist following a great touch in the Derby match, helped the attack by creating two chances on this day. He also contributed defensively by attempting two tackles and succeeding in both.

"I think Yang Min-hyeok had a very good start in the game," said manager Sifuentes on the official website. "We were thinking about whether to change the starting 11 after the win against Derby last week. I thought Smith had more experience in this type of scenario. I wanted to protect Yang Min-hyeok and give him more space in the second half. I think he had a very good impact during the 35 minutes he played." Yang Min-hyeok, who showed an impact in a short period of time, is aiming to start in the home game against Sheffield United on the 2nd. Sheffield is currently in second place in the league and is challenging for promotion. Attention is focused on whether Yang Min-hyeok can show his competitiveness against a top-tier team.