CELESTINI'S PRESS POINTS: QPR

Main Club Sponsor

TICKETS

SHOP

Clarets boss looks ahead to Tuesday's trip to Loftus Road

2026-11-02T14:30+00:00

CELESTINI'S PRESS POINTS: QPR

Clarets boss looks ahead to Tuesday's trip to Loftus Road

2026-11-02T14:30+00:00

Celestini press conference

Fabio Celestini insists he ‘accepts the challenge’ of taking over the Clarets and says he has seen plenty of positives during his first few days at the Club as Head Coach.

Speaking to the press ahead of Tuesday’s trip to London to take on QPR, Celestini, who arrived last Wednesday, highlighted the ‘exciting’ long-term project, how he'll use his previous experience to help him succeed at Turf Moor, and the coaching staff that have joined him in Lancashire.

TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE

“It’s very early days, I have not even been here a week yet, but I have seen so many good things already.

“I see a team that is hungry to succeed, strong intensity in training, the communication in meetings and with the coaches, it has been very good.

“I can use past experience for a scenario similar to this, like I have had before and where things have had to turn around.

Celestini press conference

“You can come into a situation like this, where the team is not doing so well and I have seen it in the past and it’s all quiet and no communication, but it is not like that here.

“The team are alive; the energy is very good. We had only 48 hours to prepare for the game on Saturday against Portsmouth, after the game we said it wasn’t bad, there were some nice moments, but it wasn’t enough.

“We now have two games this week, so not a lot of time to actually train, more recovery, but everyone is working together.

“We’re building a future here and it’s an exciting long-term project. It’s not easy and it will be a challenge at times, but I accept the challenge.

“It’s a project and that’s why I’m here, when I speak with Diego (Lopez) and Alan (Pace), we are not just talking about QPR and Cardiff, it’s about the future and looking ahead.”

Celestini training

COACHING ADDITIONS

“I have brought two coaches with me, first is Manel Expósito. He is a great coach, who has a lot of experience as both a player and as a coach.

“He has played and worked all around the world in Spain, Portugal, Belgium, New Zealand and with me last year at CSKA.

“Carlos Menéndez is the other coach, he is more fitness and athletic based, he also has a huge experience in football around Europe.

“He worked with Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid for nine years in La Liga, Carlos also worked in Portugal and then at Basel with me, he understands different cultures, languages and all these skills that they both have are very important to me.

"They will work closely with the coaches we already have here, Jacko (Mike Jackson), Jack (Cork), Henrik (Jensen) and the rest of the guys, it's a strong team that all work together."

Celestini Portsmouth

SQUAD FITNESS UPDATE

“We have a lot of injuries at the moment; I think everyone knows this. Some are nearly back, some are a long way.

“Some players can play 90 minutes, some can play an hour, some less and we have to manage all the risks and listen to the medical advice.

“It was good for us to have Josh (Cullen), Jaydon (Banel) and Aaron (Ramsey) back on Saturday.

“Dastan (Satpayev) is recovering from his injury, we are working closely with Chelsea, and Armando (Broja) is still a bit away from being back involved.

“We have the two games this week, then we have the international break to come together and try to build the squad even more and bring more players back into the group for after the break.”