3/1 To Win
With just two weeks to go until the start of the 2018/19 season, Frank Lampard has thrown the gauntlet down to his Derby County players and told them ‘now is the time to start making your case for a starting spot’.
The Rams take on Premier League outfit Southampton at Pride Park Stadium this afternoon in game three of their pre-season campaign, kick-off: 3pm.
A week ago, Derby opened their account with a 4-1 victory over Notts County at Meadow Lane, before they fell to a 3-1 loss at Mansfield Town earlier this week.
With two contrasting outcomes, results wise, which one did the Rams’ manager learn the most from?
“Both – for different reasons,” he told RamsTV.
“That’s pre-season for you. I wasn’t overly concerned with Mansfield – of course you don’t want to lose games – because pre-season is the time to see things from my own point of view as well as the staff's.
“We are looking at the players individually, their fitness levels and at the team collectively.”
He added: “We saw some really good stuff against Notts County, less so against Mansfield and there are things that we need to improve.
“For me, though, to see those things helps us get our message across. There wasn’t negativity from us after that result, it was more about ‘ok, we made mistakes, but how are we going to fix it because the real stuff starts in a couple of weeks’.
“The game against Southampton will be a progression from what we have had so far and we need to make sure we are willing in every game and every day to improve.”
With the days counting down to the new season, Lampard also feels that the meeting with Southampton comes at a good time for his side.
After facing two League 2 opponents, a clash with the Saints represents a marked step up in quality in terms of opposition.
And with it, Lampard feels his players are going to be tested in a very different way.
“This is great timing for us,” he said. “We need to step up because we are getting closer to the start of the season.
“Southampton are a good team and will pose us a different challenge to what we have been playing against.
“They are a team that will test us more and that’s important for us at this stage. Fitness-wise, we are looking more towards the start.
“The players need to be making a case to be in the team come the Reading game in two weeks’ time. I want them tested this weekend and they will certainly get that.”
The Derby County boss also confirmed that recent signings Mason Mount and Harry Wilson will feature for the first time today. Click here to read the full story.
