A tale of chances missed as Derby brought back to earth by Addicks
FRUSTRATION AS RAMS COULD HAVE BEEN AHEAD IN FIRST HALF BEFORE CONCEDING
DERBY County were left frustrated on Saturday when they were beaten 1-0 by Charlton Athletic.
The Rams should have been out of sight after a first half in which they peppered Charlton’s goal and missed a hatful of chances.
James Collins went close twice and Jason Knight headed wide, three chances that should have found the back of the net.
Derby were all over a Charlton side that struggled with the basics in the first half but a Corey BlackettTaylor goal after half-time did for Liam Rosenior’s side.
Rosenior stressed after the game that he was not worried about his side’s performance, and with good reason – the goals will come and there is no time for an overreaction ahead of two big games this week against Mansfield Town and Barnsley.
Derby were superb but failed to find that clinical touch.
The worry would be if those chances were not being created and an experienced marksman like Collins will score those goals when the opportunities present themselves in the future.
The big problem that isn’t
Right, the missed chances. As mentioned above, the real problem is if Collins is not in those positions to score the chances.
Rosenior said it best in his postmatch press conference: “It happens – you need sharpness and I am more delighted with the fact that James is in the middle of the goal and he will score goals, there is absolutely no doubt about that.”
Collins was tenacious and a real menace for Charlton’s defenders, showing the battling spirit that Derby fans love from their forwards.
Derby’s crowd-pleaser
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is a real crowd-pleaser with his desire to go direct and take players on.
He backs himself to beat a man and had Charlton’s full-backs struggling.
When his strikers are in sync he will be a real menace and it’s up to Derby’s players to get the ball to him on the wing so he can run into the box. He’s a very exciting player and one who will be crucial to how the Rams get on this season.
The pressing transfer need
Mendez-Laing is a great crowd pleaser. When his strikers are in sync he will be a real menace.
Derby’s squad is missing James Chester and David McGoldrick through injury and they will really beef the matchday team up when they are back fit. But you can’t help looking at the squad and noticing a glaring transfer need.
Jason Knight’s versatility almost counts against him because he can do such a good job in a number of positions.
But a right-back has to be on the cards soon to move him back into midfield. That has to be addressed before the end of the summer window.
Familiar – and sinking – feeling
The 3,072 Derby fans who made the trip to the capital are used to getting the train back from St Pancras without three points.
Indeed, Derby have only won three times from their last 15 matches in London and the last time Rosenior’s side visited The Valley they were turned over 3-0, the middle fixture of a grim run of three consecutive defeats in London by that scoreline.
More pressingly, Derby’s away form remains grim with only one win in 2022– a dead rubber at Blackpool in April.
Tomorrow, the trip to play Mansfield Town in the Carabao Cup represents a great chance to get off the mark away from home this season.
Richard Cusack