3/1 To Win
Midfielder Jason Knight knows performances need to improve in the lead-up to Derby County taking on Norwich City in the Sky Bet Championship on Saturday afternoon (12:30pm kick off).
The Rams have yet to pick up a point this season following three successive league defeats to start the 2020/21 campaign and the side’s attention is firmly on the trip to Carrow Road this weekend.
Knight has played every minute of the 2020/21 campaign so far and has offered good energy to the team in midfield, both in the middle of the park and also out wide.
The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international scored in the Carabao Cup Second Round defeat against Preston North End last month to take his career total to seven goals after making his league debut for the Rams against Huddersfield Town at the start of last season.
But the Academy graduate is aware that the side must be better if they are to get anything out of Saturday’s game against the Canaries.
“It was hard to take the result and performance against Blackburn last weekend, but we have to go again,” he told RamsTV. “On a Monday morning you just need to come in, put everything behind you and work harder to put things right.
“I has been very aggressive in training, people want to make changes and put things right on the pitch on Saturday.
“It is going to be a really difficult encounter with Norwich. They have had a good start to the season so we know it is going to be a tough ask, but we need to go to these places and get good results if we want to be fighting at the top end of the table.”
Since Knight’s first-team bow in August 2019, he has gone on to make 39 appearances for Phillip Cocu’s side as the Rams finished tenth last season.
Still only 19 years of age, Knight believes he is learning every day working under Cocu and his coaching staff.
“I think there is a good blend here, there is a lot of experience and also youngsters coming through and new boys coming in as well,” he said. “I think there is a very good mix and it is just getting that gel together and it looks like it is coming.
“I think last year brought a lot of experience to myself and a lot of the young lads that came through the Academy. It is just using them in a positive way and hopefully helping the team as much as we can.”
And has he set personal targets again for this season?
“I think everyone sets personal targets,” he admitted. “For myself, I want just goals and assists and to try and get better than last year, give more than last year, play more games - things like that.
“As a collective, as a team with a club of this stature, we want to get promotion but there is a lot of hard work ahead.”
