Derby County made several summer signings, including several full-backs such as Joe Ward, Kane Wilson, and Callum Elder. Unfortunately, all three of these players have sustained injuries in the past month, prompting manager Paul Warne to bring in Ryan Nyambe as a free agent, who has excelled in the right-back position in the absence of Ward and Wilson.
Now, with Ward and Wilson back in the mix, there will be three players competing for the starting right-back position. However, Warne seems to have an alternative plan in mind.
A training video posted by Derby on their X account shows the players engaged in what looks like an ‘attack vs. defense’ exercise. In this video, Ward is notably positioned on the right when defending, but when the team is on the attack, he is seen on the left, attempting crosses with his weaker left foot. This suggests that Warne might consider deploying Ward on the left side, rather than his preferred right.
This raises the question of what the arrival of Nyambe means for Elder and club legend Craig Forsyth. Forsyth has been a regular on the left side, starting the last three games in place of Elder, who was sidelined due to hernia surgery.
Derby’s first game after the international break is an away match against Shrewsbury Town on Saturday afternoon, where these tactical changes may become more apparent.
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