Derby County
Club crest.
After dropping off sharply towards the end of the 2014-15 season, and failing to even make the Championship playoffs for promotion to the Premier League, Derby County returned to have a shot at promotion again in the playoffs during the 2015-16 season. The only trouble being, the Rams completely forgot how to play soccer in the first leg of the tie and resigned themselves to another year in the Championship.
A tough bullet to swallow for the team many had once considered to be the most talented team in the Championship but one they cannot afford to dwell on for long, as the only goal for an elite Championship team remains the same: promotion to the English Premier League, a challenge that will require full attention this season.
In some ways, this season might be the last real chance to keep Derby County's core around in the near future. For a few seasons, the Rams have managed to narrowly avoid promotion and while they have managed to keep a hold of a few players a bit too talented for the Championship, failure this season could mark the exodus of individuals such as Will Hughes or Jeff Hendrick.
Nigel Pearson. Wikipedia Commons/Whassuo (CC)
After a carousel of managerial changes these past few years, Derby County may have finally found a keeper in Nigel Pearson. While most would describe his methods as unorthodox (to say the least...), it is widely considered that he was the manager responsible for miraculously building Leicester City to English Premier League winning team from nothing (and that's no disrespect to Ranieri - he did a hell of job with the players he had last year). He is a no-nonsense type of manager with proven experience of getting teams to the Premier League and comes well prepared for the unique challenges of the Championship and getting promoted to Premier League. Additionally, Derby County has managed to recruit a very strong backroom staff with plenty of experience to complement Pearson.
In terms of proven strikers, Derby County returns Darren Bent and Chris Martin. While neither has played particularly well recently, Darren Bent is a forward that was once considered one of the top strikers in the Premier League and his success is crucial for Derby County. Out on the wing, Derby County boasts Johnny Russell, Andreas Weimann, Tom Ince, and Nick Blackman. I personally rate Russell and Weimann as the natural wingers in the squad (Ince is quite talented but is very inconsistent).
Will Hughes. Wikipedia Commons/Matlock-Photo (CC)
In my opinion, Derby County boasts the most talented midfield in the Championship. From Will Hughes, a player who has consistently been linked to the top teams in England since he was a youth player, to Jeff Hendrick, one of the standout performers this summer at Euro 2016 with Ireland, there are hardly any weaknesses with this midfield. It's almost a shame that players such as Craig Bryson, George Thorne, Jacob Butterfield, and Bradley Johnson (club's record signing), fall under the radar in Derby County's midfield. This midfield is deep and prepared to handle the Championship's long season.
Not too much can be said of our defense but it is certainly one of the better defenses in the Championship. With proven internationals such as Richard Keogh and Cyrus Christie and others such as Jason Shackell, Derby County boasts experience in defense.
After being stuck with Lee Grant as a starter for several years, Derby County now has a proven goalie in Scott Carson, a goalie with Premier League experience (it certainly doesn't hurt to have Grant as a backup though). Johnathan Mitchell and Kelle Roos are promising (ish) young goalies but will not feature heavily this year.
4-4-2.
Our most likely formation to play this season (in some variation - 4-4-1-1 is also likely). Honestly one of my favorite formations to use but I'm not entirely convinced our strikers will be able to handle it (they're certainly talented enough - but they need the form). It's also imperative to me that we play Hughes and Hendrick simultaneously with this formation.
4-3-3.
While it is unlikely that we will use a 4-3-3 (Pearson doesn't fancy it much), I would say this would probably be our strongest formation as it gives our talented wingers freedom to wreak havoc while letting 3 of our very talented center midfielders play simultaneously.
Relegated into the Championship from last season are Newcastle United, Norwich City, and Aston Villa. As such these teams bring Premier League squads that will almost certainly challenge for promotion (though for Aston Villa, it may be more a tepid assault). For those unfamiliar with the Championship, promotion hopefuls aim for the top two places in the standings for automatic promotion while the next four teams compete for the final spot of promotion to the Premier League in the playoffs.
The Championship is a different breed of a league. With a longer schedule and many deep teams, getting promoted often requires a different kind of strength. Getting promotion requires a manager with experience and what it takes to be promoted, depth, and quite frankly, luck. Grinding out results when you're not playing well is essential. By bringing in Pearson, Derby County have satisfied a lot of the criteria to to the Premier League but it will not be a trivial matter. I consider Norwich City, Newcastle, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Derby County to challenge for the top two automatic spots. Furthermore, I expect Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa, Ipswich City to challenge for the playoff spots. QPR, Nottingham Forest, and Cardiff City might surprise people in the top half of the table.
Ukulele strummer, milk enthusiast, and sushi connoisseur. Was the leading scorer on my amateur soccer team last season. I'm also a true nerd at heart and an aspiring rocket scientist.
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