Opinion: Derby Will Be A Tough Test

The Christmas period is always a tough one and it has been emphasised as an even more important run given the circumstances surrounding the new manager coming in. It is a time that sees our fans more divided than ever due to the boards decision to sack Gary Rowett and therefore, it is vital that we pick up results in order to keep the belief going around the club. Every fan wants this, whether they’re a supporter of Zola or not.

Tuesday brings the first chance for points on the board as Birmingham City face Derby County in an away fixture. The home side have kept 6 clean sheets consecutively at home this season and if they are to get a shut out this week, then it will set a new club record. Players don’t really look at records like this but clean sheets are always the aim and it does show that their defence is rather hard to break down so we need to be on our metal if we are going to score. Derby have won 5 out of their last 6 home matches in the league and the only game that they failed to win, was a draw. So they are no easy opponents that is for sure.

Unfortunately for Birmingham City, we play Derby when their confidence is high. Despite a rocky start to the season, they really have shot up and now will be hoping to be in with a chance of promotion at the end of the season. Donaldson and Gleeson are both looking doubts for the game which removes two key players from our starting 11. Anya and Blackman being the doubts for Derby.

This article may seem a little bit negative, but realistically we have to consider Derby one of the best teams in the Championship and fans that think just because we have Zola that we are invincible really need to look at it more objectively. Yes, I think Zola can do a good job. He is good with youth players and he is a very attack minded coach. But he needs to gel with his players and see who he can bring in, in January. The team that faces Derby will not be a Zola team as he’s not had time to create such a team, but after January is when we can really start to see if he is pushing in the right direction.

Overall, we do have a chance of getting something out of the game. We have a high success rate away at Derby and anything is possible. Lukas has also been brilliant in the air and I do believe that we can score against them. But confidence is low so it’s all about how Zola can motivate the players to grind out a result for him.