At last. Derby County have finally got their first away win of the season with a 2-1 victory away to Coventry.
Following a poor start to the season, back-to-back wins meant Coventry were riding high, Mark Robins giving Sky Blues’ fans renewed hope, but their first half performance didn’t live up to this.
After a dismal performance at Stoke, Paul Warne made five changes to his Derby side. Opting to set up in the 3-5-2 that he had adopted at half time in Staffordshire, Callum Elder, Liam Thompson, Nat Phillips and Kenzo Goudmijn all came into the side. As did Dajaune Brown, making his first league start.
Brown had the first chance of the game, surging forward after a pass from Yates, but the youngster was indecisive allowing a defender to concede a corner.
Derby started fairly well, looking solid out of possession and though a few sloppy mistakes started to creep in for both sides, the Rams would soon take advantage in the 11th minute.
Jacob Widell Zetterström’s goal kick was lumped and intercepted by Jack Rudoni whose sloppy pass inside was seized upon by Yates, rounding Oliver Dovin and calmly finding the bottom left corner for his second goal of the season.
Determined defences were otherwise the story of a first half with few chances, Derby well-drilled in a solid block.
This was epitomised when Ebou Adams dashed back to clean up after Nat Phillips whose miscue nearly saw Brandon Thomas-Asante in on goal.
Coventry’s first effort on goal eventually came in the 41st minute Haji Wright slicing a shot over the bar from a corner.
At the break, it was clear that Mark Robins would need to change something. But it was Paul Warne who made the only half time change, Craig Forsyth replacing the injured Callum Elder.
His side would need to move the ball with more urgency if they were to break down a stubborn Derby defence.
The Rams started the second half on the front foot, with a flurry of corners delivered by Goudmijn, though they came to nothing.
Just before the hour mark, Coventry went close. In an advanced position on the right, Van Ewijk passed inside to Thomas-Asante who fired wide on the turn.
Coventry altered their approach, playing a faster, more direct game, as well as switching to a back four, resulting in them being well on top as Sakamoto was denied by a last-ditch block.
But soon Derby had a stroke of luck, which saw their lead double against the run of play, Jerry Yates’ cross from the left flank deflecting off Bobby Thomas, over Oliver Dovin and into the bottom right corner.
Mark Robins’ side got one back four minutes later through Tatsuhiro Sakamoto who drilled the ball into the bottom right corner from 20 yards.
Buoyed by the goal, the hosts were turning the screw once more, with Derby looking shakier at the back following a double change.
Haji Wright missed a glorious chance when he headed wide in the 82nd minute, and again in stoppage time, as Derby held on for all three points.
Analysis: A better balance
It’s been a long time coming, Derby have won a competitive away fixture for the first time in eight matches, ending a rut which risked becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. The victory was far from comprehensive for Paul Warne’s side, but it was a vast improvement compared to what was on show at Stoke.
Despite having a tighter turnaround ahead of this game, the Rams looked fresher than they did at the weekend – Paul Warne’s decision to “shuffle the pack” paid dividends.
There are very valid concerns regarding their struggles to keep the ball: Derby had 30 per cent possession at the Coventry Building Society Arena and their average possession percentage is the second lowest in the Championship. Improving this would help those in black and white control games, and by extension, conserve energy, as discussed in this week’s podcast.
However, Warne’s side were well-drilled, defending resiliently and diligently against a good side, who were expected to dominate the ball with their central overloads, which helped mitigate the issue somewhat.
An important factor in this resilient defending was the midfield. Ebou Adams completed the most defensive actions of any Derby player. Next to the Gambian international, Liam Thompson made his first start of the season and staked a claim for a regular place in the team, buzzing around the pitch making himself a nuisance.
The presence of Thompson alongside Adams also enabled Kenzo Goudmijn to play in a more advanced role, flourishing as Derby’s creative spark in a way that hasn’t been seen in recent weeks following David Ozoh’s injury woes.
Speaking to BBC Radio Derby, Warne described Thompson’s performance as “excellent,” and Goudmijn as “outstanding.”
I’ve written a lot about Jerry Yates and his in-game isolation over the last few weeks. As we saw hints of at Stoke, he looked much more comfortable in a strike partnership, even alongside the inexperienced Dajaune Brown. As well as taking his goal brilliantly, Yates was much more involved in the game (he recorded his third-highest number of touches in any game this season) able to showcase more of his excellent passing and link up play.
With their travel sickness cured, for now at least, Derby will return home on Saturday as they face Plymouth Argyle, with Wayne Rooney returning to Pride Park.
Paul Warne seems to have found a way to set this squad up in his preferred 3-5-2 formation. Whether he sticks with it or reverts to the 4-3-3 that has proved successful on home turf, it’s nice to see a plan come together.
Coventry (3-5-2: Dovin (GK); Latibeaudiere (Dasilva (61’), Thomas, Binks; Van Ewijk, Sheaf (C), Eccles, Sakamoto, Rudoni (Mason-Clark 61’); Wright, Thomas-Asante (Torp 61’).
Substitutes not used: Collins (GK), Perry, Kitching, Dausch, Tavares, Andrews.
Derby (3-5-2): Zetterström (GK); Nelson, Phillips (Wilson 76’), Cashin (C); Jackson, Goudmijn, Adams, Thompson (Bradley 76’), Elder (Forsyth 46’); Yates (Collins 86’), Brown (Mendez-Laing 68’).
Substitutes not used: Vickers (GK), Ward, Harness, Barkhuizen.
Comments