3/1 To Win
Gary Rowett has challenged Derby County’s players to put their recent away woes firmly behind them this week.
Derby have back-to-back away fixtures on the agenda in the Sky Bet Championship this week ahead of the October international break.
First up is a visit to Brentford on Tuesday evening before heading to high-flying Cardiff City on Saturday.
The Rams’ last two away games in the league have seen Rowett’s side return home pointless from trips to Sheffield United and Bristol City, going down 3-1 and 4-1 respectively.
The 43-year-old says it’s important his players prove that they have it within them to claim results on the road on a far more consistent basis.
Derby have claimed four points from a possible 12 on the road so far this term and Rowett has made it clear that the away form needs to improve.
He told RamsTV: “In terms of the two away games coming up, our last few scorelines on the road have reflected a far from ideal performance.
“There will be people on the outside who think we aren’t tough enough to win an away game and we’ve got to show them we can. It’s as simple as that.
“We have to go down there and we’ve got to show what it takes to stop an away team playing. We’ve got to show more about ourselves and be more resilient.
“We’ve got to respond and whatever happens at home, we can’t go away from home and play in the same way that we did in the last two.”
Rowett has suggested that he will make changes to his starting line-up at Griffin Park.
With three games in a week, the Derby boss feels having fresh legs is required.
He said: “There will be changes and I said before the home game against Birmingham City on Saturday that would be the case.
“Certainly away from home, I don’t want to do the same things and get the same results, so it is going to be up to some players to come into the team and make their mark and do what it takes to improve our performances.”
Rowett has been candid enough to admit that Derby have not been good enough at both ends of the pitch on their travels lately.
He wants his side to prove they can dig in, get a result and show the elements required to pick up more points on the road.
He said: “In the Sheffield United and Bristol City games, we didn’t attack well enough and we didn’t defend well enough.
“I think our mentality in both of those games was not quite good enough to win them.
“If you watch the Sheffield United game at Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, Sheffield United fought for every over blade of grass all over the pitch. If you win those battles, out run your opponent and get in their faces then you get results.
“I’m not suggesting that we play exactly in the same way, but what I am saying is that there are elements, when you go away from home, that can’t be as nice that you would like it to be.
“You can’t always play with the same control that you would like and sometimes you have to be a little more belligerent. We will see, but hopefully the team I put out will give us a little bit more of that.”
