Another great free kick but lack of goals in open play is worrying
MORE FRUSTRATION AFTER ANOTHER DRAW
DERBY County’s points return of five from eight League games is worrying, as is their position in the table, even though the season is still in its infancy.
Added to the concerns is the team’s glaring struggle to score a goal from open play.
Who would have thought when Jack Marriott finished instinctively in the defeat away against Luton Town on September 19 that almost six weeks later we would be waiting for the next time Derby scored from something other than a set play.
Martyn Waghorn has found the net with two beautifully-struck free kicks against Nottingham Forest and Cardiff City, skipper Wayne Rooney did the same in the victory over Norwich City at Carrow Road.
Goals from set plays are a big part of the game and they can win games, as they did for Derby at Norwich, but that will not always be the case.
Seeing free kicks rip into the net from set-piece experts such as Waghorn and Rooney is very nice but the shortage of goals from open play is costing them and that has certainly been the case in the last two games as wins were there for the taking in both.
Derby had Forest on the back foot in the first half of their meeting and Graeme Shinnie squandered a clearcut chance to put the Rams two up when he was put through one-onone with keeper Brice Samba.
Shinnie’s attempted finish was too close to Samba, who saved, and Forest improved in the second half to level through Lyle Taylor in the 1-1 draw.
A similar story emerged from Wednesday night’s clash with Cardiff City at Pride Park Stadium.
Waghorn’s brilliant free kick put the Rams ahead midway through the first half and they fashioned a number of openings to add a second before Cardiff, second best in the opening 45 minutes, found their feet and Kieffer Moore levelled for the visitors.
Another 1-1 draw and more frustration. The point lifted Derby out of the bottom three on goal difference, Coventry City took their place, but that is of little comfort.
Derby cannot keep letting a lead slip, they cannot keep overlooking opportunity. They lost by the only goal of the game at Huddersfield Town last week having been the better side in the first half, again.
Performances have improved but this is not reflected in the points’ tally and one goal from open play in 12 hours of League football is a sorry statistic.
“It is good we have that quality to score from a set play, and when you look at the goals last season we scored, a lot were from open play and I think we have the players who can do it,” Cocu said when fielding questions on the matter.
“The improvement in the amount of opportunities or situations in front of the goal is increasing, it was (against Cardiff) just the final part, the decision making when we went
forward was not always the right decision.
“We still have to work on some parts of our end product because if it would be good, I think we would be in a different position.”
Changing the position in which they find themselves is the challenge facing Derby. Next up is a trip to face Bournemouth tomorrow.