“We've got to get results”: Eustace has a job to do despite injuries
'When it rains, it pours’ is no longer an adequate way to describe Derby County’s injury crisis: the Moor Farm treatment room is now flooded.
Carlton Morris is back, and Rhian Brewster has sat out for the period mandated under the concussion protocol. But the Rams’ injury list is still extensive (now nine players long), with number one Jacob Widell Zetterström the latest addition with an “impact” injury to his knee.
“Obviously he’s not in a good way,” John Eustace told Thursday’s pre-match press conference. “e’s going to be missing for the next five or six weeks. It’s a big blow for the team, it’s a big blow for us and to him, to him; but it gives an opportunity for someone else to step up and enjoy it.”
Eustace is confident that his shot stopping department will remain strong, hailing Head of Goalkeeping Paul Clements as “the best goalkeeping coach in the country” and adding that: “When Richard and Josh stepped up last year, they were very good. I don't expect anything different this year.”
Forward Henrik Meister will also miss this weekend’s fixture as he now goes through the concussion protocol after being stretchered off. Eustace explained: He's fine. He's trained well today, he’s with the physios, he's on the grass, he's running. So just unfortunately he can't be involved on Saturday.”
All this ahead of a big battle between two sides who currently sit in the bottom three, as the Rams travel to recently relegated Burnley. While Eustace has stopped short of matching Clarets boss Nicky Hayen in calling the game “must win”, he recognises that his side’s fortunes must turn around.
He said: “It doesn't matter how many injuries we've got, we've got to get results.”
And the 46-year-old is encouraged by what he has seen on the training ground this week.
He said: “We've had a really good week this week on the grass. I think [over] the last two weeks obviously with the five games, it's very difficult to do any training on the pitch because of the amount of games. So, to work on that, it's been difficult.
“This week, the lads have been outstanding on the grass and we're really looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
Eustace reiterated that his team just “lack belief a little bit” when it comes to taking chances but insists that “the belief inside the dressing room is still there and very high”. And he conceded that they have not been good enough at the back. He said: “Hopefully, we can stop conceding on the transition and keep working hard on the training field.”
This, he says will be a big focus over the upcoming extended international break. “I think it gives us a lot more opportunity to work from some defensive principles, some team structure as well, which we haven't really been able to have due to all the different changes and different personnel in the team, which makes it very difficult to really become a very strong defensive structure.
“But hopefully over the next three weeks we can work on that as soon as available and try and narrow down the team going forward.”
First though, the focus is on Turf Moor, where Derby are after their first win since 2004.
With additional reporting from Joe Egerton - Football Journalist and owner of @DerbyCountyUpdates2.
Burnley
Thomas Hargreaves is a football journalist and Editor of Burnley-focused The Longside.
The Clarets find themselves in an alarming position following relegation. Relegation is a common thing for Clarets; however, being 24th in the second tier is something very new.
Sitting at the foot of the Championship, winless in 217 days, and without a home victory since October, the atmosphere around Turf Moor is toxic. Clarets Boss Nicky Hayen has branded this weekends
Last season, the morale was at its lowest in living memory across the club, with supporters increasingly directing their frustration toward Chairman Alan Pace. His investment in La Liga side Espanyol has drawn further questions about his commitment to Burnley.
A chaotic “Fire Sale” in the summer transfer window only worsened the slide. The departure of stalwart centre-back Maxime Estève to RB Leipzig for a reported total package of €32 million stripped the squad of its most reliable performer, while Zian Flemming’s deadline-day exit compounded the misery - and arguably left the Clarets without a goal-scoring striker.
The late business brought in some pedigree—notably French midfielder Ugo Raghouber from Lille, who offers the control in a pivot role that Burnley have lacked since Josh Cullen's ACL injury.
Those who stayed have started poorly. Goalkeeper Max Weiß is struggling in his first full season as number one goalkeeper, with a number of poor mistakes leading directly to goals. Kyle Walker continues to struggle to find form in central defence, with many fans calling for the experienced right-back to be dropped. The Clarets have struggled with a consistent team; after nine games, they have had seven different centre-back pairings. Saturday's defeat to Swansea City was the first time Clarets boss Nicky Hayen named an unchanged starting XI.
However, with Aaron Ramsey sidelined for another six weeks with a hamstring issue, manager Nicky Hayen could turn to re-registering Mike Tresor or Marcus Edwards.
Connections
There is just one current player that connects the two sides. That is Rams left back Charlie Taylor. The 32-year-old has shown himself to be a very defensively in his seven appearances since joining Derby in the summer, although he has been hindered at times by a lack of pace going forward. At Burnley, where he made 220 appearances, scoring once. He won promotion to the top-flight twice at Turf Moor, even playing Europa League football, and in contrast, was known for his crossing abilities.
Me and Nigel discussed all that and more with TurfCast’s Joe Redmond.
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