The Derby County area that will worry John Eustace - It’s not like his teams at all | OneFootball

Derby County have been poor defensively this season, which is unusual for a John Eustace team.

After keeping Derby County in the Championship last season, John Eustace rightly received plenty of plaudits for the work he had done at Pride Park.

The former Blackburn chief made the surprise decision to leave a potential play-off push with Rovers for a relegation scrap with the Rams, but Eustace will have felt vindicated as the two sides started in August in the same league.

Following an excellent start to life at Pride Park, with Derby picking up 21 points from his 14 games last season, there was a lot of optimism about what this campaign could bring for the East Midlands outfit.

Derby County endure a difficult start to the 2025/26 season

However, despite a productive summer window, Derby have had an underwhelming first few months of the current season.

They sit 20th in the table, just two points above the relegation zone, having won only one of their opening nine games.

Yet, five draws in that period probably sums things up for Derby. It shows that whilst the Rams can compete, they are just not doing enough to get over the line - and it’s costing them big time.

Equally so, it also demonstrates that Derby aren’t a lost cause. They are capable of mixing it with anyone in this league, and if the fine margins start going their way, there is no reason why Eustace’s men won’t start winning successive games.

Derby County must quickly improve defensively

To start turning those draws into victories, it’s clear that Derby must improve defensively.

Eustace made the Rams hard to beat last season after his appointment, with the team conceding just 14 goals in 14 games. Plus, it’s worth noting that four of those came in his first game at QPR as he got to grips with the team.

After that, Derby were a nightmare to play against, with the boss having them well organised, compact and able to soak up pressure.

Right now, that’s missing, and the stats don’t make for good reading either.

Derby have kept just one clean sheet this season, in the win at West Brom, and they are sixth worst when it comes to expected goals against. So, it’s not a case of everything going against them, as they are giving away more chances than they should.

John Eustace’s history suggests he will get Derby right defensively

Perhaps the biggest surprise about this, and the main reason for hope, is that this is not what Eustace's side usually looks like.

Across his 48 Championship games with Blackburn, they conceded just 50 times, whilst he was harshly dismissed by Birmingham as they sat in the play-off places having shipped only 11 goals in the same number of games.

So, whilst it will mystify Eustace that Derby have looked a soft touch at times in the opening weeks of the season, there is enough evidence over the years to suggest he will get it right.

However, Derby need that to happen sooner rather than later, otherwise they could get sucked into a relegation battle.

The Championship is always tough, but it looks particularly competitive this time around, so if teams are lacking in certain areas, it could prove to be significant.

Of course, it’s far too early to say how Derby’s season will play out, and a couple of wins would change the outlook completely, but the reality is that they are not where they want to be right now.

In that sense, the international break has probably come at the right time for Eustace, as he can work with the bulk of his squad on a daily basis as he looks to reinforce exactly what the plan is.

With Bobby Clark, Patrick Agyemang and Carlton Morris added to the squad, Derby have some exciting options in attack. But, until they get it right at the back, they will continue to struggle near the wrong end of the table.