“Mendez-Laing dropped" - Derby County urged to start exciting winger v QPR | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has issued his verdict on what changes to the team should take place ahead of QPR clash

Derby County face a huge clash against QPR going into the October international break.

The Rams will be going into the game at Pride Park off the back of three defeats in a row in the league.

Paul Warne’s side have suffered losses to Sheffield United, Norwich City and Sunderland in recent weeks, which has seen them fall down the table.

A fourth defeat in a row would mean they’d have picked up just three points in the run of games between international periods.

Warne will be keen to ensure this doesn’t happen, particularly with just two points separating them from 22nd place QPR going into the fixture.

Corey Blackett-Taylor claim made ahead of QPR clash

When asked what changes he would make to the team for the QPR clash, FLW’s Derby fan pundit suggested giving a start to Corey Blackett-Taylor.

He believes the winger has looked dangerous when coming off the bench in recent weeks, so would welcome giving him a chance to see what he can do from the start.

“I think Corey Blackett-Taylor. deserves a start,” Woodward told Football League World.

“He’s looked really bright when he’s come on in the last two games, he’s scored against Norwich and he looked dangerous in midweek against Sunderland.

“He’s been one of our only bright sparks really in the attacking third, especially against Sunderland when he came on.

“We’ve looked a little toothless, so I think he deserves a start.

“And I think it sends a good message to the subs that if they come on and make a difference then they’ve got a good chance of starting in the next game.

“So, for me, he would be a player I would find a place for in the starting XI.

“Whether that’s Mendez-Laing dropped or Jackson, but I think he deserves to see start and see how he goes.

“Give him a decent 60 or 70 minutes.”

Corey Blackett-Taylor.’s importance to Derby

Blackett-Taylor hasn’t quite been able to nail down a starting role for Derby since his initial loan move to the club last January.

He made five starts from 12 league appearances for the Rams in League One last season, contributing one assist (all stats from Fbref).

All three of the 27-year-old’s appearances in the Championship have come from the bench as well, although this led to him scoring his first league goal for the team in the 3-2 loss to Norwich.

Derby will go into this weekend’s game sitting 14th in the table, just two points clear of the relegation zone.

Corey Blackett-Taylor has earned a chance at Derby start

The exciting winger has provided a strong threat for Derby in his recent cameo roles, and an opportunity to start would be a good recognition of his performances.

Derby have scored just twice in their last three games, with the forward providing one of those goals, so changing up the attacking personnel could be needed to freshen things up.

This has become a big game for Warne’s side, as a fourth loss in a row would be quite damaging, and could even see them plummet down the table even further.

Given it’s at home as well, this only increases the pressure on getting a result, so throwing Blackett-Taylor into the team could be a smart move to improve their chances of earning all three points.