Derby defensive woes 'need solving, and fast'

[BBC] Derby have not started the same back four in successive games since 29 August, where they opted to play the same defence that lined up against Cardiff City in their 2-2 draw the week before. Most teams that are successful in the Championship often prioritise building from the back, making themselves hard to score against and hard to beat. To do that you often have to have a settled back line who understand each other and therefore can communicate more effectively, cover for each other better when required, and ultimately reduce the amount of errors that can lead to conceding goals. Derby at the moment look like a team who don't have a settled back four. Max Johnston, Joe Ward, Ryan Nyambe, Dion Sanderson, Sondre Langas, Eiran Cashin, Charlie Taylor, and Craig Forsyth have all featured across the Rams back line in different defensive combinations since the start of the campaign. John Eustace doesn't seem to know which defensive players and combinations he prefers at current. It's a problem that needs solving, and fast, if Derby want to stop conceding goals and losing football matches. [Getty Images] On Saturday, we saw once again, the lack of chemistry Derby's defensive unit has at the moment. Taylor was fooled by the run of Carlos Vicente in the lead up to Birmingham City's equaliser. A simple fake to run inside left Taylor running towards the same space as Cashin. The full-back made a last ditch attempt to try and prevent Vicente from scoring at the far post, ultimately getting caught under the ball and allowing the Blues number seven to head home. For the second goal, Langas became too invested in Christoph Klarer trying to make himself a nuisance to Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, leaving the Rams goalkeeper rooted to the spot and unable to deal with the delivery from the corner kick. Furthermore Langas' lack of engagement in the set-piece left Paik Seung-Ho unmarked, and able to ghost in at the far post to score the simplest of headers. It goes without saying that both of the goals Derby conceded on Saturday were incredibly soft, but it is also no secret that the Rams are lucky Birmingham weren't more clinical on the day, as they could have conceded four or five. An improvement in an attacking sense amounts to absolutely nothing if you can't keep the back door shut. Despite more positive patterns of play, more urgency in the final third, and more problems being caused to the opposition's defence, the result simply didn't change, and Derby fell to their third straight defeat. Until the Rams can field a consistent and settled back four, you feel they will continue to concede goals. The long term injuries to Derry Murkin, and reigning player of the season, Matt Clarke, are far from ideal. If those two players were fully fit, they would undoubtedly be two of the first names on the team sheet for Eustace. That being said, Derby need to deal with the cards they have been dealt, and try and find a way to fill in the gaps until those players can return. You can often catch Amelia Warren as a guest on BBC Radio Derby.