Derby County head into the third international break of the season in 12th place in the Championship, despite winning just one of their last six matches in the league.
The last few weeks have been frustrating for Paul Warne’s side, who perhaps could have found themselves closer to the top six if they had taken their chances on a more regular basis, but the Rams should be proud of the start that they have made.
They are currently the leading side out of the three clubs that won promotion from League One in 2023/24, and have a four-point buffer to the relegation zone 15 games into the campaign.
However, with the January transfer window coming up, there will be areas of concern that Warne will have to target to help Derby continue their push for a top-half finish on their return to the second tier after a two-year hiatus.
Verdict made on Derby’s biggest concern
The Rams’ momentum has obviously taken a bit of a hit throughout October and the start of November, and their four 1-1 draws since the last international break have perhaps been a source of irritation for the coaching team.
They led in two of those matches, with their most recent against Plymouth Argyle the one where Warne will see it as two points dropped rather than one gained.
Their failure to kill games off early has been a significant downfall this season, and when asked by Football League World what the one concern he has ahead of the January transfer window, Derby’s Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, pinpointed the frontline as an area that needs improving.
He told FLW: “The biggest concern I have before the January transfer window is that we don’t sign a decent striker or any wide men that can support Yates.
“Yates has shown over the last couple of weeks that he really is a talented player, and he’s capable of scoring goals at this level. He just needs adequate support.
“I think when he played alongside Dajaune Brown at Coventry, it gave him the space to be able to express himself, and although Brown didn’t really have a great game himself, what he did do was occupy the centre-half, so Yates could benefit from that. It definitely helped Yates in that respect.”
Shaun continued: “I think when we go back to a 4-3-3, I can understand why we would do that being at home. But the two wide players are just not contributing. When Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s down the left, he’s not in the game, he needs to be playing down the right to me. If he’s playing down the left, you need to drop him and play someone else. I prefer him on the right and Corey Blackett-Taylor on the left.
“I think Kayden Jackson, after a really fast start, has tailed off. He works hard, but you need your wingers/outside forwards to contribute goals, and neither him nor Mendez-Laing are doing that, and for whatever reason, Warne won’t play Blackett-Taylor.
“So, at the moment it’s all on Yates, especially when there are not many goals coming from midfield, so that’s my biggest worry before the window and I think we desperately need to address that front three/front two.”
| Derby County Attacking Players Stats 2024/25 (TransferMarktTransferMarkt)* | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| Corey Blackett-Taylor | 7 | 1 | – |
| Conor Washington | – | – | – |
| Dajaune Brown | 6 | 1 | – |
| James Collins | 9 | – | – |
| Jerry Yates | 13 | 3 | 2 |
| Kayden Jackson | 15 | 2 | 2 |
| Nathaniel Mendez-Laing | 15 | 1 | 3 |
| Tom Barkhuizen | 4 | – | – |
| *Stats correct as of 11/11/2024 | |||
Yates has started to find form in front of goal
While there are worries over the Rams’ attacking prowess at the moment, Yates has found himself in form for the first time since moving to Derby on loan from Swansea City in the summer.
He has scored three goals and picked up an assist in his last six matches in black-and-white, including an incredible bicycle kick against Plymouth at Pride Park last time out.
This run of goal contributions has come at a perfect time for the 28-year-old who may have had a few worries about his place in the starting XI with Brown’s rise to the first-team picture this season. But, his experience and ability to hit the back of the net has seen him make the striker position his own.
Nevertheless, more competition is needed and Derby must get another proven Championship-level attacker in January to help stave off any potential threat of relegation and keep them pushing up the division.
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