Paul Warne watched on as his Derby County side suffered another away defeat over the weekend vs Sheffield United.
Ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, Paul Warne will likely have been pleased with how his team have fared in the Championship so far this season.
After a harrowing defeat to Blackburn Rovers on the opening day, Derby County beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at Pride Park in game week two.
The huge win over Michael Carrick’s men continued a trend of the Rams’ being superb when playing at home.
It played a massive part in them winning promotion from League One in 2023/24 and could prove key to their Championship survival in the current campaign.
Following the victory over Boro, Derby have secured a 3-0 win over Bristol City and a 2-0 win over Cardiff City on home soil.
However, after Derby lost to Sheffield United on Saturday, they remain without a win away from Pride Park this term.
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Paul Warne shares how Derby County players reacted to Sheffield United defeat
Even if you ignore Derby’s struggles on the road this term, they were still heavy underdogs going into Saturday.
Had Sheffield United not been deducted two points ahead of 2024/25, they would be right in the automatic promotion mix after going undefeated in their first six Championship fixtures.
In turn, there may be some fans who, while disappointed, are fairly happy to have lost just 1-0 against Chris Wilder’s men.
However, speaking to Rams TV, Warne has now revealed that Derby players did not have that reaction at all, and are instead ‘not taking the defeat lightly’.
He said: “If you go in our dressing room now, the lads are heartbroken – they’re not taking the defeat lightly because ‘it’s only 1-0 against one of the league’s favourites.’
“They’re not like that. They’re raging that they didn’t win – and that’s what you want. You want them to turn up here today with the belief they’ve got to win.”
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Why Derby County should still be concerned by Sheffield United loss
On paper, losing to Sheffield United is not a terrible result for a side who have just returned to the Championship for the first time in two years.
But the manner in which they lost the clash will give Warne some cause for concern.
Derby were completely dominated on Saturday, having just 39 percent possession and failing to have a single shot on goal.
The Rams performed similarly against Middlesbrough last month but were able to win that game thanks to a massive error from Isaiah Jones that gifted Kayden Jackson a goal.
However, those types of errors are not that common, especially when playing against the top teams.
And Warne must now find a way for his side to actually start competing with the better sides in the Championship.
Should he fail to do so, Derby may be in danger of sliding down the Championship table and into the relegation zone.