John Eustace has 'an amazing problem' at Derby County involving Sammie Szmodics | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County Fan Pundit weighs in on a fresh selection issue that can only be a positive for John Eustace.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Derby County's home form in the Championship this season has been extremely alarming, and while they have been tremendous away from home, they know that they must be better at Pride Park starting this weekend against Swansea City.

The Rams have won just four times on their own patch in this campaign, with their most recent victory in DE24 coming on New Year's Day as they ran out 1-0 winners against Middlesbrough - a side pursuing automatic promotion to the Premier League.

However, there is no denying that injuries have played their part in this form, with Carlton Morris' foot injury in November seeing him miss over three months of football. But, the striker is now nearing his return and that is excellent news for John Eustace.

Nevertheless, with his return to fitness comes a new problem, but it's one that he will be delighted to have and Derby may just be able to crack the top six if their head coach can work out a way to get the best out of a new-look forward line.

John Eustace has significant selection headache at Derby County in the final months of the season

Last season, there was no denying that Eustace had extremely limited options up front, as Jerry Yates led the line next to Marcus Harness, with Lars-Jorgen Salvesen suffering a severe injury that saw his 2024/25 end early.

Now, he has the opposite problem, and after the arrival of Sammie Szmodics from Ipswich Town, Football League World has asked their Derby Fan Pundit, Shaun Woodward, how the Rams should operate in the coming weeks.

He said: "What an amazing problem and headache for Eustace to have right now with all these talented forward players he's got to choose from. It's almost like we have too many now because it's keeping them all happy.

"When everyone's fit, to have the likes of Bobby Clark, Ben Brereton Diaz, Rhian Brewster, Patrick Agyemang, Carlton Morris, Sammie Szmodics, Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, Jaydon Banel and Oscar Fraulo, there's just so many of them to choose from.

"I think right now, the four that have been playing in the form of Agyemang, Clark, Brewster and Diaz, that front four, they've warranted their place in the team. They've all been playing well of late, and it's going to be hard to take any of them out of the team right now.

"However, if Morris was 100% fit, then he comes straight back into that side as the focal point, and then you play Agyemang on the left. So that means Brewster would drop out. I think you don't bring in a player like Szmodics if you're not going to play him."

Shaun continued: "So, it's going to be interesting to see what Eustace does there. Because I think he would come into the middle of the three for Bobby Clark. But Clark has been playing really well. So, it's a difficult one for Eustace, but what a great problem to have, a great headache to have for him. And I look forward to seeing what he does.

"But we're going to have some great options off the bench as well, some real match winners, which we've lacked at times this season. We've played against some teams when games have been close, but the quality they've brought off the bench has been maybe a game changer for them.

"So, it'd be great to see us be able to bring on players that aren't going to necessarily weaken the side. It's a great problem for him to have right now. But for me, if everyone's fit, you've got Morris, Agyemang, Clark or Szmodics and then Brereton Diaz. That would be my front four. So, you've got plenty of options to come off the bench."

Sammie Szmodics will be given a key role at Derby County

Szmodics is a player that has proven that under the right manager, he can be one of the most threatening attacking players in the Championship. Luckily for Derby, that manager is Eustace, and he has had great success under the 46-year-old in the past.

At Blackburn Rovers, the Republic of Ireland international was given a free role in behind the striker that allowed him to drift out wide, stay central and even go beyond the number nine with his outstanding pace. This is something that the Rams have lacked for a number of years, and he will be crucial in their top six push.

However, there is also no denying the fact that Clark deserves his place in the starting XI, and it is up to Szmodics to take his position and prove to his head coach why he was so desperately wanted on deadline day.

Either way, for Derby, it's a win-win situation, and they will benefit from this new competition as they gear up for another home match.