The Rams host Shrewsbury Town at Pride Park on Saturday on the back on a hard-fought victory away at Charlton.
Formation Conundrum:
Derby lined up with three centre-halves away at Charlton with Sonny Bradley arguably having his best game in a Derby shirt, putting his body on the line many times. Will it be the same formation on Saturday?
After how well The Rams played last weekend, I expect Paul Warne to give three at the back another go, especially as it would be extremely harsh to drop any of Eiran Cashin, Curtis Nelson or Bradley after their performances away at The Valley. Playing this system also allowed the wing backs, Joe Ward and Louie Sibley, to push higher up the pitch and play in their more ‘natural’ positions which suited them more as both of them have looked uncomfortable playing in a flat back four this season. With no sign of Callum Elder or Craig Forsyth returning from injury I expect Warne to deploy wing-backs once again.
However a home match against a struggling Shrewsbury side, Warne may look to revert to a flat back four to get him an extra attacker on the pitch. Doing this could be a mean a return to the starting XI for right back Ryan Nyambe. Nyambe has been brilliant for Derby this season and has now returned from AFCON where he was on international duty with Namibia.
Injury Worry Could Open the Door:
Derby may be without talisman Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who suffered a nasty foot injury at Charlton. He may have an x-ray this week to see the extent of the damage caused, however it doesn't seem good as he appeared back out of the tunnel wearing a protective boot and Paul Warne described him as being “in a bit of a state and he is in a boot and on crutches.”
In the absence of Mendez-Laing who could Derby turn to for attacking pace and flair? The main choices would be Kane Wilson or Tom Barkhuizen who would both provide pace and trickery in wide areas for the Rams and are both very direct players who want to take opposition defenders on like Mendez-Laing.
New signing Corey Balckett-Taylor is a doubt as he picked up a slight adductor injury at the start of last week in training. He is now battling to be fit for this weekend's visit of the Shrews, according to The Derby Telegraph.
Opposition Analysis:
Shrewsbury have been struggling for form lately with only one win in their last five in all competitions. For most of the season they have lined up in a back three and have liked to get the ball wide so they can cross it into their strikers like Max Mata and Daniel Udoh who both provide a tall and physical presence in the box.
Tom Bayliss provides energy in the middle of the park for the Shrews and has shown in the past how he loves a goal against his boyhood club Derby with his header earlier in the season, and his free kick at Pride Park last season. Shrewsbury have provided a tough test for Derby over the last couple of seasons as they are a well organised team and picked up two draws against Derby last season, coming from 2-0 down at Pride Park last season to draw 2-2 and winning 1-0 at the Montgomery Waters Meadow earlier this season.
What happened last time?
These two teams last played in October 2023. The Shrews won 1-0 thanks to a Conor Hourihane own goal. The Derby County captain then was involved in a heated exchange post-match with the traveling Rams supporters.
Shrewsbury Town League Form:
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Derby County League Form:
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Closing Thoughts:
Shrewsbury will be tough opposition for Derby this weekend especially with Derby’s current injury list, however, the Rams should have enough to see off the Shrews if they play the fast-flowing, direct football we know they can, accompanied the defensive determination they showed away at Charlton.
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