Derby County have a glaring issue right now that needs to be fixed | OneFootball

Derby County need to start converting their chances.

Derby County's target for the 2024-25 season ultimately had to be survival in the Championship.

Having secured automatic promotion from League One, many Rams fans would have hoped their season would follow a similar pattern to Ipswich Town's last year. Unfortunately, this hasn't been the case but at present they are sitting in 15th place, having accrued 20 points from their opening 18 games.

This gives them a five-point buffer to the relegation zone where the struggling trio of Hull City, Queens Park Rangers and Portsmouth all sit.

If they are to maintain this gap and continue building their Championship status, then County must fix one glaring issue that has been harming them in recent weeks.

Poor finishing is costing Derby County

While Derby's tally of 22 goals is by no means dreadful, their inability to put games away has cost them in recent weeks.

Heading into a four-fixture run against Plymouth Argyle, Preston North End, Swansea City and Sheffield Wednesday, Paul Warne would have expected his side to pick up an ample amount of points.

Unfortunately, this hasn't come to fruition and the Rams have added a meagre two to their league tally, leaving them in sight of the bottom three.

The main issue in these games has been their lack of clinical finishing, as Derby have managed to score just one goal per fixture despite creating numerous opportunities.

In all four, they have come out on top in the expected goals (xG) battle, yet haven't secured three points during that period.

As detailed above, the underlying figures suggest Derby should have performed better in these games, with the defence consistently restricting opponents to less than 1 xG per match and the attack creating enough chances to exceed that figure in all but one fixture.

The standout game has to be Swansea, where somehow Luke Williams' side escaped Pride Park with all three points despite offering up four big chances and an xG of 3.46.

This is an issue Warne must urgently address, as continued struggles in front of goal will only increase the risk of being drawn into a relegation battle.

January could see Derby restrengthen

If this issue continues to persist for Derby, then they will have to address it in January, as a good finisher could propel them up that league table.

At present, Derby's striker options consist of Jerry Yates, James Collins, Kayden Jackson, and Conor Washington, who have collectively managed just six goals this season, with Yates leading the way on four. This lack of output highlights the need for reinforcements, whether on loan or a permanent deal.

While Championship experience could be necessary, looking to the division below wouldn't be a bad idea either, with Richard Kone at Wycombe Wanderers a possible target. However, the best option would be a move for Aston Villa's Louie Barry, who it is believed will return to Villa Park early from his Stockport County loan as Unai Emery's side look to source him a Championship move.

So far, he has managed 13 goals in 17 league games and has shown his ability to create a chance for himself from nothing.

Further targets could come in the wide areas, with Marcus Harness struggling to make an impact since his loan move from Ipswich Town.

However, all this will be dependent on what sort of funding Warne receives in the New Year.

These areas of the pitch should be the priority though, as they just can't risk a lack of goals sending them down to League One.