3/1 To Win
Manager Phillip Cocu was naturally disappointed following his side’s 2-1 defeat against Bristol City at Pride Park Stadium on Tuesday night.
Two goals in the first half from former Ram Andreas Weimann and midfielder Josh Brownhill put the visitors in a commanding position by half-time.
Striker Jack Marriott pulled a goal back late in the game, after coming off the bench, but it wasn’t enough as Cocu tasted defeat for the first time as Derby's boss following his appointment in July..
It signalled an end to the Rams' unbeaten start to the season in all competitions and the manager was critical of how his side started the game.
“I’m very disappointed to lose a home game,” he told RamsTV. “The last home game we should have won, when we drew 0-0 against Swansea City, but we didn’t start good in the game.
“This is something I don’t like and you see a response from the team after we go 1-0 down. It’s not acceptable. We are responding when we are already behind.
“You have to start the game with the same tension and aggressiveness when you don’t have the ball and we didn’t.
“We made too many mistakes, especially for the second goal. It was an expensive mistake because it’s 2-0 after that. I’m very unhappy about it.
“We created good opportunities on goal and normally out of three or four chances, you have to score. We kept on pushing in the second half.
“The response in the second half pushed them back, we went forward and took a lot of risks. We did it well but we couldn’t turn it around.
“It’s bad for the team in a home game to only get one point from two. Luckily we have another home game on Saturday and show ourselves in a different way, especially starting the game.”
The Rams face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday at Pride Park Stadium and the manager wants his players to get over their first defeat of the season quickly.
“I told the players; no excuses,” he said. “We have to suck it up. It’s a defeat but also we have to stay up and keep our heads up.
“We need a response on Saturday and that’s the most important thing. We have a few days to prepare so we have to make sure we are ready on Saturday.”
One bright spark from the game was Marriott, as he continued his return from a recent injury which forced him to miss most of Derby's pre-season programme.
He came off the bench in the second half to score his first goal of the season with a superb strike into the top corner.
“It was a fantastic goal,” Cocu admitted. “I cannot really enjoy it because it’s after a defeat. He did very well in the game. I know his qualities.
“He wasn’t 100 per cent fit today. He had some minor problems in training so that’s why I had to wait.
“Hopefully he will get over that so he will be available for the 90 minutes because he has specific qualities.”
