Alarming Plymouth Argle trend does not make for pretty reading | OneFootball

The Pilgrims have struggled at the back over the course of the 2024/25 season, and they have the worst defensive record in the Championship.

The fight for survival in the Championship has gone through plenty of twists and turns in the last week, and for Plymouth Argyle the table does not make for pretty reading.

Despite picking up their first away league win of the season against Portsmouth last Wednesday, the Pilgrims were not able to follow it up with another victory over fellow relegation contenders, Derby County.

Miron Muslic's side found themselves 2-0 down at Home Park inside the first half-hour on Saturday, with goals from Marcus Harness and Harrison Armstrong handing the Rams a deserved lead.

Nevertheless, Mustapha Bundu's second goal in two matches gave the Devonshire outfit a lifeline, as he smashed a terrific free kick round Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and into the back of the net.

Although Nat Phillips' own goal just after the break gave Plymouth the equaliser, they were not able to find a winner and they allowed Derby another chance as Harness made it 3-2 in the 88th minute.

It was another example of the Greens being far too easy to breakdown at the back, and there are serious concerns about their defensive record.

Plymouth's defensive record is a huge cause for concern

Argyle have found it incredibly difficult to find any momentum this season, and they have occupied one of the three relegation places since December.

While they have picked up slightly under Muslic, performance levels are still nowhere near where they should be, and opposition teams are finding it far too easy to break Plymouth down and score multiple goals in games.

The Pilgrims have not kept a clean sheet in the Championship since 4 January when they drew 0-0 with Stoke City and they have found themselves on the wrong side of heavy scorelines in 2024/25.

They have been slightly more solid since the arrival of Maksym Talovierov and Nikola Katic in the winter transfer window, but improvements have been hard to notice at times - especially against Derby at the weekend.

Plymouth were beaten by two throw-ins for the first two of the Rams' goals, and despite having the height advantage compared to their opponents' attackers, they found themselves clearing the ball without much thought.

Harness' winner was the 77th goal that the Pilgrims have conceded in the Championship this season, the most in the Championship by a distance. Cardiff City, who have let the ball into the back of the net 62 times, are next on the list, showing just how tough the Devonshire side have found it to stay defensively solid.

Plymouth's defensive record will be a major reason behind relegation

While nothing has been decided in the relegation battle yet, Plymouth's six-point gap to safety is starting to look larger and larger as they start to run out of games.

Derby's new-found form is also a huge threat to the Pilgrims, and if they carry it on after the international break, the Rams may find themselves out of the relegation zone and increasing the gap to survival for Muslic in his side.

Plymouth's goal difference is extremely poor, and the number of goals that they are conceding is only going to make it worse, as they do find it tough to put the ball into the back of the net themselves, and League One looks to be the reality of next season if they do not find a way to hold teams at bay.