LOOK ROO GOT RAMS FIRST WIN
FIRST LEAGUE WIN OF THE SEASON SECURED AT CARROW ROAD AS WAYNE HAS LAST WORD
PHILLIP Cocu insisted before and after Derby County’s Championship clash against Norwich City that transfer talk be put on the back burner.
Cocu sent out a firm message in the build-up to Saturday’s fixture at Carrow Road that the club’s search for a striker must not be a distraction.
“I think we have to focus now on the players who are available, who are in the squad, who are part of the club, and put the energy on that,” he said.
And that is what happened. Derby secured a first League win of the season having failed to collect a point from their previous three games.
Afterwards, standing pitchside, Cocu was equally determined not to allow questions about possible transfers before the window closes to overshadow his team’s gritty performance in a 1-0 victory, secured by skipper Wayne Rooney’s sublime free kick in the 87th minute.
“Like I said, let’s focus on the players we have available. I don’t give any comment at the moment (on transfers) because the players also deserved for us to talk about the players that played (against Norwich),” said Cocu, straight-batting questions about potential striker targets and whether or not the club is in talks with West Bromwich Albion’s Charlie Austin, as has been reported.
Cocu was correct in taking such a stance because this was a crucial test for Derby, a serious examination of how they would react to the painful home defeat by Blackburn Rovers.
They needed to get themselves on the board points-wise going into the international break otherwise it would have been a long two weeks to stew on the start to the season.
Credit to Cocu, and the players, because they delivered.
The manager was brave in his team selection. He made five changes and switched system to three at the back and wing-backs.
In came Curtis Davies, George Evans and Matt Clarke to form a defensive trio. Graeme Shinnie also came in, as did Duane Holmes.
Out went summer signing Mike te Wierik, Andre Wisdom, Max Bird, Jack Marriott and Louie Sibley, who was injured.
Davies’ display oozed experience, calmness, leadership and a desire to defend, while Evans showed that centre-back is his strongest position, in my opinion. He can see the picture from there and is comfortable on the ball.
Shinnie was joined in central midfield by Jason Knight, who has been playing wide. Shinnie scrapped and did plenty of the ‘ugly’ work that can go unnoticed, but did not on this occasion.
Knight was excellent. Tireless in tandem with Shinnie, he showed a ferocious appetite for hard work and it was his surge forward late on that won the free kick which was dispatched with aplomb by Rooney.
But this was not a performance about individuals, this was a team performance brimming with the determination, discipline, organisation and resilience that had been missing against Blackburn.
Yes, the Rams rode their luck at
times, most notably when Norwich’s usual go-to man for goals, Teemu Pukki, slipped as he took a penalty given for handball against Evans and scooped his spot kick onto the top of the bar early in the second half.
You have a feeling that Lady Luck is smiling on you when something like that happens.
The Rams also had goalkeeper David Marshall to thank for two fine saves that denied Max Aarons and Jordan Hugill. Nathan Byrne’s lastditch goal-saving challenge early in the contest must not be forgotten, either.
So a much-needed win. The next fixture is at home to Watford but first all eyes will be on what transfer business the Rams do before the international deadline at 11pm tonight and the domestic deadline, which is 5pm on October 16.
Rooney’s winning goal was pure class but the team is short of goals. They have scored only two in their four League games, highlighting a need to add to their attacking
options, especially as Martyn Waghorn and Tom Lawrence remain sidelined as they recover from injuries. Both have been missed.
Derby’s formations, be it 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-4 or 5-4-1, needs a focal point, a centre-forward.
Rooney filled the role at Norwich and was the match winner. He dropped deep looking to link play and bring others into play, but he can fill other roles in the side from where he might have a greater influence.
So who could come in?
The Rams are interested in 6ft 3in Serdar Dursun, the 28-year-old who plays for Darmstadt 98 in Germany’s Bundesliga 2. There have been conversations between the two clubs and bids have been made by Derby, according to reports in Germany.
Derby did ask about the possibility of taking Aston Villa’s Keinan Davis on loan, although that was always likely to depend on how Villa view their own attacking options and whether or not they see a loan as part of the 22-year-old’s development.
Albion’s Austin, who has knowhow of the Championship and has scored goals in the division, is another link that appears to have gathered pace
Back to Cocu, and a wry smile broke across his face as he anticipated questions on the striker search. You could almost hear what he was thinking - “You know me by now, I do not like to talk about other team’s players”.