Blues fans carry fond memories of their recent trips to Derby County. First came the stoppage time fightback from 2-0 down followed by last season’s emphatic 3-0 victory. Nevertheless, a visit to Pride Park will be an almighty task for Gianfranco Zola’s men this afternoon.
Steve McClaren’s side are playing with a swagger and brushing teams aside. The former England head coach, once dubbed ‘Wally with a Brolly’, may not be everyone’s cup of tea but you cannot question the job he’s doing at Derby.
At the start of the season, the Rams found goals hard to come by but fast forward four months, Tom Ince sits pretty with 12 from out wide. They have quality all over the park and McClaren encourages them to play passing, attacking football.
Zola must be caught between a rock and a hard place when figuring out his tactics for this game. Do Blues sit back and try to weather the storm before launching counter attacks? Or do they be brave and bold by going for it from the off? Both systems have their merits and risks. Sitting back invites pressure which a side like Derby crave. On the other hand, going gung-ho leaves you vulnerable to counter attacks. This is where a manager earns his money. Regardless of the system he adopts, he’ll be a tactical magician if Blues pull off the win and be called clueless if it goes the opposite way.
Zola will be getting to know his squad and slowly but surely will be stamping his own identity on to the training pitch. Whether his players can replicate that on match days will be interesting to see.
While we can’t smother Zola with unnecessary pressure, Blues must pick up points if they’re to stay in touch with the top six. The Italian must be eclectic. When speaking to fans of Watford and West Ham, one widely held criticism of his was that he doesn’t have a plan B. Wasn’t that a stick used to beat Gary Rowett with once upon a time?
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