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It may not have been the most lively game between Derby County and Bristol City on Friday night, but it was an absolutely crucial outing for one much-maligned Rams star.
Going into the game on the back of two defeats, including a heavy 5-3 hammering at the hands of Coventry City, it’s safe to say Derby County needed to put in a good performance last night.
They may not have won the game, but John Eustace was happy with what he saw as Derby secured a point in the final moments of the clash with Bristol City at Pride Park.
It was Carlton Morris who stole the headlines with his late equaliser, but it’s worth taking a look at what one Derby County defender did on the night to help his team and improve his own situation at the club.
Dion Sanderson redeemed himself vs Bristol City
He may not have got the biggest player rating for Derby County on the night, but Dion Sanderson looked far better than he has in the last two games and he has the statistics to prove it.
We recognised last week just how much Sanderson has struggled defensively for the Rams, but he was impressive in gameweek three to stand firm and keep Derby in the game.
Throughout the match, Sanderson registered five clearances, one interception, and won six of his eight duels. Just as impressive, he wasn’t dribbled past once in the whole 90 minutes.
The defender, on loan from Birmingham City, also managed a whopping 94% pass success rate from his 77 passes, as well as completing both of his dribbles successfully.
| Statistics | Dion Sanderson vs Bristol City |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Touches | 89 |
| Clearances | 5 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Duel success | 75% |
| Pass success | 94% |
| Dribble success | 100% |
Not only did he thrive defensively, then, but he also offered enough going forward, too.
Admittedly, one solid display will not be enough to eradicate the memories of his poor showings in the past two weeks, but it will go a long way to endearing Sanderson to the Derby faithful.
Derby County have proven they’ve got goals, now they need to firm up defensively
With Carlton Morris bagging his third goal of the season, and the likes of Rhian Brewster and Patrick Agyemang still to add to the attacking line, it’s clear John Eustace will not have much problem getting his team to score this season.
It’s defensively that the Rams might struggle. There are still question marks over Jacob Widell Zetterstrom in goal, and there are even calls for Eustace to revert to a back four rather than the back three he’s using at the moment.
Either way, if Derby want to steer clear of another relegation battle and push on for the top half of the table they will need to find a way to become a lot tighter defensively.
Will that mean we see more Derby County signings before deadline day? Probably, as we hear the likes of Lewis Travis and Max Johnston are close to joining the Rams. Those two deals alone could be the difference for Derby this term.