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Derby County’s start to the season has not gone to plan whatsoever, and after a crushing 3-1 loss to Stoke City last weekend, they were put to the sword by Coventry City on Saturday.
The Sky Blues scored three goals in just seven minutes at Pride Park to turn the game on its head, with Frank Lampard’s side going from 3-2 down to 5-3 up incredibly quickly, ending the West Midlands outfit’s awful Pride Park run.
Defensively, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered by the Rams right now, having conceded eight goals in just two league games already. However, there are players still set to return to the squad in the coming weeks and months following spells in the treatment room, while the club also awaits investment.
Despite this awkward start, Derby supporter, and former One Direction member, Niall Horan, has made a strong claim about John Eustace and how he believes the team can get out of this rough patch of form.
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Niall Horan explains what he loves about John Eustace at Derby County
Horan is perhaps the Rams’ most famous supporter, and when he’s not on tour, he can often be found watching his side both at Pride Park and on the road.
Despite his celebrity status, he remains just as loyal and opinionated as any other fan, and following the defeat to Coventry, Horan opened up on his love for Derby manager, John Eustace. He said (via: BBC Radio Derby): “I love John, I think John Eustace is one of the best, if not the best, manager in the league.
“[He’s] one of the greatest British managers flying around. He’s proving himself everywhere. He kept us up last season. He just needs to accumulate this team and make them look good. We’ve got a lot of injuries obviously, but today we were just sloppy.
“I’m sure I won’t be the only person to say that. We were all over the place. We didn’t look energised, we didn’t look like we could win a second ball. It was just very, very frustrating, but not a crazy day to be a Derby County fan. We’ve seen this before, and we’ll be here again.”
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Patience is needed at Pride Park, but fans are right to have concerns
After an incredible end to last season, the start of 2025/26 has been a struggle and Eustace has not had his best squad at his disposal.
Derby are going to improve as the campaign goes on, but their defensive frailties are a genuine concern at this moment in time, especially if the likes of Dion Sanderson and Danny Batth do not get up to speed.
Eustace changed from the 4-2-3-1 formation that he used against Stoke last weekend to a three centre-back system, but without the pace of Sondre Langas and the attacking prowess of Kane Wilson at right wing-back, it did not work.
Derby supporters will be expecting much more from their side on Friday evening against Bristol City at home. Nevertheless, Eustace has already turned the fortunes of this club around once before, and he knows he can do it again.