Derby County have one clear issue - John Eustace must fix it before August 9th | OneFootball

Derby County need to add more pace and unpredictability to their side in the final third if they are to improve under John Eustace.

Derby County will head into the 2025/26 season with optimism after the fine work John Eustace has done since his appointment.

Even though the Rams didn’t secure their Championship status until the final day, the team made significant improvements under the former Blackburn boss, picking up 21 points from his 14 games in charge.

If you extrapolate that over a full season, Derby would pick up 69 points, a total that would’ve put them in the play-offs this season.

Derby County must solve obvious squad issues during transfer window

That demonstrates the job Eustace has done, and there will be confidence that, under his guidance, Derby won’t be fearing relegation again.

However, Eustace will need proper backing in the summer window, and it’s clear that attacking reinforcements are required.

More specifically, Derby are lacking pace, and they need wide players who can make a difference.

At 33, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was never going to be the long-term answer for Derby, but he did at least bring pace, power and a direct threat.

Without him, Derby look predictable, and whilst Eustace’s preferred 3-5-2 formation may not suit attacking wide players, it’s important you have different options in the squad, particularly over a gruelling 46-game season.

John Eustace can build a successful Derby County side

To his credit, Eustace has already created an identity with how his Derby team play - as he did with Birmingham and Blackburn in the past.

The Rams are hardworking, they have a clear structure, and they are resolute defensively.

But, to take that next step, Derby must have more in attack, as 15 goals in 14 games under Eustace shows there is plenty of room for improvement.

Again, that comes back to adding more unpredictability in the final third. Generally, under Eustace, Derby have been dangerous from set-plays, as well as counter-attacking football.

To push for the top-half, they will need to find a way to overcome a deep defence, and have more variety in attack, and that will come by identifying players who can beat their opponent and provide more pace.

Eustace has shown in his previous two jobs that he doesn’t need major resources to have a team in play-off contention, so it’s not like the Derby hierarchy must find huge sums to support the boss.

Nevertheless, fresh faces are needed, and if Derby can find two or three players who have that spark and pace going forward, Eustace will build on the excellent start he has had at Pride Park.