February has not been kind to Derby County in recent years, but as the second month of 2025 began, there was a sense that things couldn’t get much worse in their fight against relegation.
But as Derby fell to a seventh straight league defeat for the first time since the disastrous 2007-08 season, chants of “Paul Warne, your football is sh*t” were heard around Pride Park.
It was a close-range finish from Ben Brereton Diaz, one of second-placed Sheffield United’s four January signings, which sunk The Rams on another grim afternoon in DE24.
With the squad “down to bare bones”, Warne made three enforced changes to the side that lost at Cardiff a week prior. New signing and 2019-20 player of the year Matt Clarke made his third debut for the club in place of Eiran Cashin, who has completed a big money move to Brighton. The injured Callum Elder and Corey Blackett-Taylor were replaced by Kayden Jackson and David Ozoh, who made his first start since September.
Derby sat in a 3-1-4-2 throughout a close first half of very little, Clarke slotting in seamlessly at the back limiting Chris Wilder’s side to a couple of half chances.
The Rams’ first came after 20 minutes, Kenzo Goudmijn’s speculative 20-yard volley finding the hands of Mike Cooper, who soon saved Lars-Jørgen Salvesen’s header.
Sheffield United’s best move came through a Clarke of their own, Ipswich loanee Harry running down the right in the 28th minute. The fullback, who was making his debut too, played a ball across the box for Rhian Brewster, who shot high and wide.
But the biggest talking point in the first half related to a player who was not involved: Sondre Langås.
The 23-year-old Norway International’s imminent arrival on a four-and-a-half-year deal was reported by DerbyshireLive and has since been officially confirmed by the club.
At half-time, Paul Warne was forced into making his first change of the afternoon, Ryan Nyambe going off with what Warne later said was an issue with his back and hip. Marcus Harness came on in his place, with Ebou Adams dropping into the back three.
Chris Wilder’s side would take advantage of this in the 49th minute, Tom Cannon turning Adams, who was on the right of the backline, and playing a ball across the box to Ben Brereton Diaz who side-footed it in at the back post.
With Derby looking to draw level, Ben Osborn’s 57th minute cross Goudmijn making a late run into the box, who headed over the bar.
Osborn saw a shot cleared off the line in the 76th minute, while substitute Tom Barkhuizen was bright as he looked to drag Derby back into the game.
The number seven saw his shot blocked for the hosts’ first corner with three minutes to play, from which Matt Clarke headed over the bar from close range.
The Rams are now just one loss away from equalling their worst ever losing run, all the way back in 1888.
Analysis: A season-defining 48 hours to come?
Something Paul Warne has expressed in many of his recent post-match interviews is that (to paraphrase) this match is not as disappointing when viewed in isolation to the recent form, and Derby were not far away from getting something from the game.
To state the obvious: the problem he has is that the longer this losing run goes on, the more difficult is to ignore.
The reaction from sections of the Pride Park flock confirmed this with their chorus of boos at full-time.
There are valid criticisms. In the 3-1-4-2 deployed against The Blades, Derby’s supposedly more creative midfielders struggled to get into the game, while the wing backs in Ben Osborn and Kayden Jackson offered little threat out wide, all of which meant little service for Lars-Jørgen Salvesen and Jerry Yates.
But it appears, for now at least, that Warne still has the backing of David Clowes and co. – it would be an unusual move for a club to sanction their biggest incoming transfer in nearly five years and then promptly sack their head coach.
Both Salvesen, and Matt Clarke, who was Derby’s best player in this game in my opinion, have already improved Derby’s side.
We have spoken a lot on the podcast recently about the need for Derby to move to a model akin to that of Brighton or Brentford: developing young players that can be sold for a profit. They have done just that with Cashin, and while the academy is still being rebuilt post-administration, they now have the money to start doing that in terms of recruitment.
The side is in dire need of some reinforcements, and there are just a couple of days of the window left. This is a real baptism of fire, but like Salvesen and Clarke, Sondre Langås offers something Derby were missing. Considered among the best defenders in Norway, he is both tall and strong, but most importantly is significantly quicker than most of his defensive colleagues.
Amidst calls to back or sack Warne, the Derby hierarchy’s choice seems clear, so their recruitment in the next 48 hours could be the difference in the relegation battle.
Derby (3-1-4-2): Zetterström (GK); Nyambe (Harness 46’), Clarke, Forsyth; Ozoh (Thompson 67’); Jackson (Mendez-Laing 74’), Adams, Goudmijn (Barkhuizen 80’), Osborn (C); Salvesen, Yates.
Substitutes not used: Vickers (GK), Rooney, Allen, Cox, Wheeldon.
Sheffield United (4-2-3-1): Cooper (GK); Clarke, Ahmedhodžić, Robinson, Burrows; Choudry, Souza; Brewster (McCallum 75’), O’Hare (Rak-Sakyi 62’), Brereton-Diaz (Cambell 62’); Cannon (Peck 79’).
Substitutes not used: Davies (GK), Gilchrist, Norrington-Davies, Brooks, Oné.
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