Marcus Harness reveals the real difference between John Eustace and Paul Warne in Derby County revival

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Derby County loanee Marcus Harness has credited a change in system for his recent upswing in form for the Rams, following their victory over relegation rivals Plymouth Argyle.

The East Midlands outfit seemed all but resigned to leaving the Championship after a one-year stay, with a seven-point gap emerging before the last week of action.

Despite the arrival of John Eustace, there wasn’t an immediate uplift in results or performances to bolster their chances of survival.

That has all changed over the past week or so, with Derby County coming out on top against Blackburn and Coventry before travelling to Plymouth.

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Marcus Harness discusses John Eustace’s tactical changes at Derby County

Derby travelled to Home Park in their third game of the week before the international break, looking to record three wins on the bounce for the first time this season.

They got off to a dream start as loanees Marcus Harness and Harrison Armstrong gave the side a two-goal lead over Plymouth.

A decent first 30 minutes were clouded over by Mustapha Bundu pulling one back with a delicate free-kick effort.

Plymouth then made quick work of a comeback as a dangerous ball wasn’t snuffed out by Nat Phillips, who put the ball into the back of the Derby net by mistake.

While both teams pushed for a winner, it was the Rams who came out on top as Harness tucked away an effort just a few yards from goal.

It marked a third goal in two games for the Ipswich Town loanee, who is having a telling contribution after scoring just one in the campaign before that point.

For Harness, plenty of that is down to a system change from John Eustace, which has provided a different structure to that of previous Derby boss Paul Warne.

He told BBC Radio Derby after the match: “I feel like some people work better in chaos, which we might have been a bit more chaotic in the past and some people work better in good, organised structure and I feel like that’s kind of player I am.

“I need to be in a good structure and know what’s going on around me but with freedom within that to kind of bring my best attributes and thankfully it’s been a good week.”

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What John Eustace has changed with Marcus Harness at Derby

It’s fair to say that Harness had faced a tough loan spell at Derby before his recent flurry of goals for the side.

Under Warne, the playmaker had been used as a more versatile option, featuring in deeper midfield positions at times or as an outlet on the wing.

Harness would often play a huge role off-the-ball, while on it he would look to knit together neat passages of play without getting many chances in front of goal.

By playing as almost a second striker, there is an expectation that the 29-year-old should get on the end of more chances.

While there has been a tactical tweak, the message from Eustace has been clear regarding mentality and helping the loan star.

The Derby boss told BBC Radio Derby: “Top drawer, Marcus is a class act.

“We’re giving him that confidence to go and believe in himself and play in the position he wants to play. Not just with the ball, without the ball today he was excellent.”

That confidence for Harness and the team as a whole is coming as more goals scored and more points earned is giving them a better chance of survival.