Cocu: “We Are Happy To Be Able To Play Football Again”

Phillip Cocu is looking forward to getting Derby County 2019/20 Sky Bet Championship season up and running once again this weekend.

The COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the United Kingdom back in early March and as a result the football authorities elected to suspend the season until further notice.

After three months, competitive football will return this weekend in a new and unique way.

Matches are to be played behind closed doors, while preparation for games must be followed by the strict Return to Training protocols issued by the EFL.

Supporters can instead watch Derby in action live on RamsTV, which will provide unrivalled coverage of the Rams’ final nine league fixtures of the season.

Derby’s first game back in action will see them head south to take on Millwall at The Den on Saturday afternoon (1pm kick-off).

Cocu admits he is looking forward to the final nine games of the season following a period uncertainty as to how the campaign would be concluded.

Speaking to RamsTV ahead of the trip to The Den, Cocu said: “It was hard to say at the time (when football wasn’t being played) what was going to happen.

“It has been very difficult for the EFL and the clubs to find a way to play and make sure the players are safe and can play games of football. People have worked extremely hard to make it happen.

“We are very happy and pleased that we are able to play football again. There will be no fans inside the stadium, but they can see the games and football again and Derby County supporters can watch on RamsTV.

“It will be different for the players with no crowd noise and no people inside the stadium, but we will give everything to make our fans proud and play our football in the best way possible.”

He added: “It has been a very difficult period for everybody. We are fortunate we are able to train, to see each other and return to matches. It remains a difficult time so if we can bring some happiness with good results and performances, that would be very good.”

The new protocols in place for clubs both on training days and matchdays has provided a whole new way of working for players and staff members.

Cocu has offered some insight into the changes Derby’s squad will encounter when they return to action.

“It will be different for us when it comes to our preparations,” he said. “We will travel on two coaches to divide the squad and we will stay the night at a hotel, because it is a 1pm kick-off.

“We will have meetings and eat in the dining area with social distancing, of course, and when we arrive at Millwall we will change and prepare in a separate building.

“When we go to the pitch, both teams with enter in a different way to keep their distance as much as possible.”

He added: “We know the game has contact, but we have to avoid it where we can and follow the guidelines.”

Don’t forget you can see Derby County return to action at Millwall LIVE on RamsTV from 12:30pm on Saturday afternoon. Sign up to RamsTV and purchase your streaming pass here: dcfc.co.uk/page/ramstv.