Derby County’s perfect League One return – winger blazes back, duo return and Rams win
Latest Derby County news from Derbyshire Live brings you a look at what would be the perfect return from the international break
The League One season has been put on hold during the international break as Derby County gears up for their next match against
Portsmouth this weekend.
While those who have been sidelined due to injury have continued their rehabilitation, the players who have not been on international
duty have been in training.
Next month, there will be another international break, and during that time, Derby will play five league games as well as a match in
the EFL Trophy against Lincoln City.
First up is the visit of John Mousinho’s Pompey side who are unbeaten in League One having won three and drawn three of their opening six matches
Here, Derbyshire Live examines the ideal outcome for the Rams as they seek to better their current record of three victories and three losses.
Duo return
Louie Sibley and Tom Barkhuizen missed the majority of pre-season and are still yet to sprinkle their talent on the start of this campaign.
Injuries have kept the pair have kept them sidelined but they are finally closing in on a return to action that will give Paul Warne
greater options in attack.
Barkhuizen played in the under-21s’ win over Lincoln City this week while Sibley is also understood to be making good progress after a
slight issue with his groin.
It is a big season for both players considering they are entering the final year of their contracts, but they can both undoubtedly offer
more attacking prowess to this team.
Warne has already pointed to Barkhuizen’s ability to beat a man and back in January he was arguably the player of the month
following some excellent performances.
His form mirrored that of the team as they began to tail off towards the back end of the campaign, but if he can recapture that energy
he will certainly be an asset.
As for Sibley, Warne spoke at a fans’ forum this week about how he feels the academy graduate is the best finisher in training.
Being deployed as a number 10 is what many consider his best position and he gave everybody a reminder of his talent with two goals
in a win at Oxford last term.
Having both players back, fit and ready to go would certainly be a welcome addition at this early stage of the season when competition
for places is so important.
Beat Portsmouth
Derby have obviously had a difficult start given that they have faced most of the teams anticipated to contend for promotion this year.
This weekend’s schedule includes Oxford, Bolton, Peterborough, and Pompey as the next stop. Currently unblemished, John Mousinho’s team has recorded three victories and three draws.
Despite being the only team in the division to remain unbeaten, the league standings indicate that nobody should be expected to easily win the division.
Derby had a rocky start, but in the second half of their 3-0 win over Burton, they were excellent and came away with a 4-2 triumph at Peterborough United.
However, there have also been modest losses to Oxford and Bolton that occurred both in and out of possession.
Derby’s main challenge last season was defeating the top six teams, and Pompey is predicted to contend for a playoff spot this year.
The ideal way to react would be to return from the international break with a victory against their competition for promotion.
John-Jules starts and makes his mark
Since his loan transfer from Arsenal, which happened in the last few weeks of the window, the forward has been carefully monitored.
Warne decided to ease him into the group, presumably in light of the injuries that had cast doubt on such a promising prospect.
But there was enough to imply that he should now be vying for a start in his substitute appearances against Peterborough and Bolton.
The striker appears to play fearlessly and has something absolutely unique to offer compared to the other four strikers currently under contract.
He’s got pace, he’s got quick feet and he’s happy to drive at defenders which is something that Conor Washington, James Collins and Martyn Waghorn are not renowned for.
Defenders hate being put on the back foot when facing somebody who carries unpredictability and speed.
A first start and a goal would undoubtedly be the equivalent of a chef’s kiss.
Mendez-Laing blazes back
There is no denying that the Derby winger, when in top form, is one of the most thrilling wide players to watch when he is tearing up
the right flank.
But like the squad, he has had erratic play thus far this season. Although he has shown flashes of his talent, he hasn’t been able to
string together two performances at once.
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