Derby County boss Frank Lampard was delighted with his team’s performance as he sat in the Pride Park Stadium dugout for the first time, but he still feels that there is more to come.
The Rams beat Premier League side Southampton 3-0 thanks to a brace from Tom Lawrence and a further strike from the in-form Mason Bennett, and the performance matched the dominant scoreline.
Lampard highlighted the key aspects of the display that pleased him most, and he singled out one player in particular who personified the Derby approach.
He told RamsTV: “It was a good occasion for me on a personal note, to have my first game in charge here, and the lads put in a performance to make me very happy.
“I can’t ask for more, but the feet will stay on the ground because I think that there is more to come.
“The energy in the team to win the ball back - David Nugent showed incredible energy, to block the centre-backs who were trying to play out.
“I could probably go through everyone, particularly in the first-half but even the subs that came on.
“We showed the right bravery on the ball, to try and pass and move the ball from back to front, and we created numerous opportunities by doing that, but we can still improve.”
The boss was pleased to see Lawrence get off the mark for pre-season, and he also emphasised the work of the trio that wore the Derby shirt for the first time on the day.
Lampard said: “That’s what Tom can do, he’s a top-class player with ability that you don’t see every day. He can beat people, he has a great first touch, balance and movement.
“There are loads of goals in Tom, and players like him can unlock doors, you can say the same about Harry Wilson, Florian Jozefzoon and Mason Mount, there were some really nice bits from all of them today.
On Bennett, he added: “He comes on, picks up where Nugent left off by closing down with energy, and he’s shown that since day one of pre-season.”
Another man to feature for the first time this season with the first team was Max Bird, who came on the second-half in an unfamiliar left-back role.
The 17-year-old held his own and Lampard is keen to give youth a chance this term.
“We want to bring youth through - if they deserve to be there.
“We have open conversations with Darren Wassall and the Academy, players that are working hard that can come in and show what they can do are very welcome.
“An opportunity arose for him today, and he played at left-back, which isn’t his first position.
“It’s great for the fans to see players coming through the Academy, it won’t always be easy, but we’ll try and do that when we can.”