Massimo Luongo believes QPR is in a better place mentally than earlier in the season.
Required to play an unnatural No 10 role, the midfielder admits all was not well with him and the club.
The Australian international dismissed the September 4-0 hammering at Fulham in five words, but spent far more time explaining why his current central midfield role is paying dividends.
Luongo was the one player on that fateful Cottage night who came closest to scoring for Hoops. He was through when the score was just 1-0 to the Whites (see below), but his left-foot low drive found the side netting rather than the back of it.
Now he expects a different outcome Saturday afternoon in the return leg.
He said: “That game’s in the past. We’re a completely different side, and building on high platform. We’re different mentally. I couldn’t say what it was, but we’re more comfortable on the pitch now.
“I was playing a different position earlier on and you could put it down to that, and we’ve had three managers come in and had their say.”
Luongo was bought as a £2.5 million package with Ben Gladwin from Swindon in the summer, and after an initial run of games found himself in not so splendid isolation on the sidelines.
The man hoping for more call-ups to the Australian World Cup says like the Fuham farce that’s in the past.
“I was on the sidelines and I didn’t shut my eyes to anything. I was waiting my chance, and I can offer a lot more as a two in midfield than as a number 10,” he added.
“As for Australia, I’ll hopefully get a call for the next camp.”
