Derbyshire Live provides the latest Derby County news, including the talking points from last night’s defeat to Charlton.
Derby County threw away a lead for the second time in three days, losing at home to relegation-threatened Charlton, as their automatic promotion aspirations suffered a blow.
The Rams had made a solid start by attempting to enclose Charlton in their own half, but chances were few and far between in a tense first 20 minutes. However, Korey Smith tried his luck from the edge of the box following a good move, but he lacked the strength and accuracy to challenge Harry Isted.
Charlton struggled to create chances, but they did break through when Panutche Camara had a 20-yard attempt that went wide of the upright. Derby kept grinding away in an attempt to generate opportunities, but it was a set-piece that gave them the lead before half-time, when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s corner was met by an emphatic header from Eiran Cashin.
Charlton fought back after the break and came close to equalising when Chuks Aneke, on as a replacement, hit the crossbar with a header. Moments later, they were level after a ball down the side and into the box for Daniel Kanu tempted goalie Joe
Wildsmith will come off his line to commit the foul. The referee had no choice but to point to the spot, which allowed Alfie May to bury from it.
With 10 minutes remaining, Charlton took the lead after Ebou Adams made a mistake, and Wildsmith saved well from Kanu, but Karoy Anderson smashed in the rebound.
The worst part of Charlton’s awful second-half performance was that they didn’t have to work very hard to get their first win of 2024. One error by Joe Wildsmith, more on that later, and Derby’s cardinal sin of playing square across midfield was all it needed to turn this game on its head.
It could have been more acceptable if Charlton had suddenly appeared and played like a budget version of Manchester City after halftime, but they didn’t. They simply lowered the game to its base level. Turn the defense, win second balls, and attempt to cause errors. It may have been pragmatic football, but it was effective enough to exploit on three fundamental Derby weaknesses: a lack of control, a lack of game management, and, most importantly, a lack of leadership.
More concerning is that, since James Collins’ injury, the centre-backs have posed a greater threat than the attacking players in the final third, which needs to be addressed. Nathan Jones, Charlton’s manager, appeared extremely happy with himself afterwards, which is understandable. He shared a few words with some Derby fans on his way to the players’ tunnel after full-time, evidently ecstatic after a big win in their bid to avoid relegation.
The sole saving grace of Derby’s terrible night was that Bolton lost at Wigan, allowing them to remain in second place. They’ve gotten lucky with other results in recent weeks, but Derby can’t keep relying on Ian Evatt’s team to squander points or hoping Barnsley has an off day here and there. They need to put an end to it, and it has to start with Port Vale on Saturday.
It cannot be simply Mendez.-Laing
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has been outstanding this season and will certainly compete for the player of the season title at the end of the season. We’ve often remarked that when he performs well, Derby always does too.
But it was difficult not to sympathize with him last night, given that it was far from his best effort in open play. Despite this, he managed to provide an assist for Eiran Cashin’s goal in the first half with a beautiful corner to the near post.
We must recognize that he is not superhuman, and his performance levels will fluctuate from game to game. However, in certain situations, others must stand forward. And the harsh fact last night was that no one could relieve him of the burden of being Derby’s go-to player in open play. It can’t be just him all the time; others must take responsibility.
Subs did not function.
Paul Warne has never been hesitant to make replacements, but those who came on last night made little impact.
Tom Barkhuizen failed to test the Charlton defence, Louie Sibley fired into the South Stand, and Martyn Waghorn, as welcome as his return was, appears to be lacking in match sharpness.
Corey Blackett-Taylor entered the fray with five minutes remaining in regular time, although he still appears to be finding his feet after joining from Charlton in January. All you ask of your substitutes is that they have some impact on the game.
Unfortunately, none of them caused Charlton to sweat. In reality, the worst blow to Derby came when Korey Smith had to leave. That was a forced substitution due to his depleted energy levels from a lack of first-team minutes. Charlton took advantage of Derby’s lack of coordination in the middle when he was replaced.
It would be unjust to put this setback exclusively on Wildsmith, given Derby still had ample time to win after he conceded the penalty in the second half.
However, there is no denying that it served as a spur for Charlton, who had provided very nothing offensively up to that moment. Derby’s goalie has had a rush of blood this season before, having committed the exact identical offence against Oxford when Derby won 3-2.
Warne stated the former Sheffield Wednesday stopper had held his hands up in the dressing room and when he looks back, he will know that he should have simply stayed.
Where he was. If Daniel Kanu had been able to defeat him from his position in the area, you’d raise your hands and exclaim ‘fair play’. To score from that angle, it would have needed to be an incredible finish.
Unfortunately, Wildsmith got caught up in the moment, but Derby still had enough time to regroup.
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