Derby County manager Steve McClaren has revealed that the players and the club need to take heart in order to recover the form that made them title favourites only a few weeks ago.
Now, the club has won three matches and has suffered two defeats and a draw during this run. It is threatening to put them back into the play-off places. It would be a major downer for the club after they had done extremely well to lead the table for a few weeks. The poor form in recent weeks has followed the likes of Bournemouth and Watford to close the gap on the table leaders.
The top of the Championship is now incredibly close with four teams locked on 66 points. McClaren feels that Derby are collectively capable of getting away from this run of form especially having players like Stephen Warnock in the team. The former Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers defender moved to the club only in January for an undisclosed fee. At 33 years of age, he will not only provide enough Championship experience but also the capability to deal with opposition players in the Premier League. This weekend will see a top of the table clash with Derby taking on Norwich City, who are just one point below McLaren’s team.
“It is a tough week – we always knew this week was going to be a tough one.I’m not saying it will decide things. I always say be in with a shout with 10 games to go, and we are.We have to dig in this week. We have to come out of it with performances, with points, and we have to maintain our challenge.That is the target. To still be there or thereabouts knowing then that when we come back after the international break all injuries should have cleared up and we have the squad ready to go,” said McLaren.