The Derby County duo have both earned a well deserved spot in the Team of the Week following their performances.
Derby County were quite simply ruthless at the weekend as they turned over Bristol City in a 3-0 win at home, the second win at Pride Park this season.
Although there has just been two fixtures at home so far in the 2024/25 Championship season, the Rams have a 100% record at Pride Park after they also previously saw off Middlesbrough in a 1-0 victory.
They haven’t quite managed to crack it on their travels after two successive defeats to Blackburn Rovers and Watford, however Derby County’s start has been decent so far this season, with Paul Warne’s stand-out players already showing their true colours and playing to the best of their abilities.
Two in particular put in a brilliant shift to help see off a helpless Bristol City, and as a result they have been awarded for their qualities that were on display.
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David Ozoh and Curtis Nelson named in Team of the The Week following Derby County win
Rams pair David Ozoh and Curtis Nelson were star performers in what was a ‘superb win’, per Derbyshire Live, and they were certainly at the heart of such a terrific performance, making it no surprise to see them in the Championship Team of the Week.
Nelson played a pivotal role in maintaining the clean sheet for Warne’s side, and it certainly wasn’t an easy task due to Bristol City having more than their fair share on the ball and certainly having opportunities to attack.
Further up the pitch, Ozoh was impeccable when controlling the centre-of-the-park, from breaking up play to distributing the ball forward, and he managed to bag a goal late on to wrap up the win for Derby County.
Derby County duo are crucial for Paul Warne’s style of play
It is safe to say that any Warne side has to be solid when up against the cosh, and there is every likelihood that this will happen on multiple occasions.
Being solitude when defending is what makes you thrive in the Derby County system, and both Ozoh and Nelson embody that ability.
The Crystal Palace loanee has already proven to have been an immensely successful piece of business from Warne, not just because of his abilities that he had already proven in the Premier League, but due to the fact that he arrived in what would have been a low-cost loan deal.
Meanwhile, Nelson has certainly been able to live up to previous spells in the Championship with the likes of Cardiff City and Blackpool, despite his drop down to League One with the Rams last season.
The Derby County duo are more than certainly going to remain as key components in Warne’s set-up, and there is every likelihood that they could be the difference between Warner and the Rams reaching their targets of survival towards the latter stages of the season.