2 dilemmas facing Wayne Rooney at Derby County as opening game v Huddersfield edges closer | OneFootball

Derby County will be hoping for a big improvement this season.

The Rams endured a torrid campaign last time out and only managed to secure their Championship status on the final day of the season.

This term the focus for Wayne Rooney’s side will be on kicking on and moving themselves up the Championship table.

If they’re going to do that then they’ll need to show some real improvements, but given the transfer restrictions that the club are facing it could prove harder than they first thought.

With that in mind here are two dilemmas facing Rooney ahead of the season opener against Huddersfield Town.

Quiz: Did each of these 20 midfielders ever score a goal for Derby County?

1 of 20

Bradley Johnson

Yes

No

Creating opportunities

Derby County are really lacking in creative options right now.

With Martyn Waghorn leaving the club at the end of last season, only Nathan Byrne contributed more than three assists in the entirety of last season meaning that things could be difficult this time around.

Rooney will need to add some flair to his side ahead of the opener if they’re to get a result on the opening day, let alone the rest of the season.

Putting the ball in the back of the net

Another problem facing Derby is having a consistent source of goals.

While Colin Kazim-Richards scored eight goals last term, the Rams only have one senior striker in their ranks at present which means that the experienced frontman has a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Either the 34-year-old will need to play out of his skin, or another player will need to rise to the challenge and contribute some crucial goals to the cause.