Paul Warne has shared what he thinks is really helping Derby County ‘play better’ recently.
Speaking to the club’s official website, the Rams manager claimed the team’s friendships was a key influence on their performances.
Paul Warne joined Derby County following their relegation to League One and was expected to take them straight back up, however six wins in the final 18 games meant they finished the campaign in seventh place.
Derby’s chances are looking positive this term though, with the side sat fifth in League One – two points above where they finished last season.
The Midlands outfit have now won five consecutive games in the league and are only three points from an automatic promotion spot.
In fact, Derby have six more points than they did after 19 games last season – while they were a huge 12 points from the automatics.
Paul Warne has now suggested why they are playing ‘better’ right now, but has also admitted that they are far from their best.
Speaking after the win over Leyton Orient, the 50-year-old said: “The lads are in good fettle. They are good friends on and off the pitch and I feel you play better like that. There’s a real confidence building and wins give you that.
“We rode our luck in the first 10 minutes or so but you need a bit of that to win games. After that, I thought we were handsome for the win. We had no injuries and no massive issues but I do think we could have played better in a lot of parts of the game, but it’s just about winning.
“We’ll still learn from it and we still need to get better because that level of performance I don’t think is enough.”
Can Derby County do it at the second time of asking?
Derby County are currently the most in-form team in League One at the moment and there is no reason why they can’t force themselves into the position to win automatic promotion back to the Championship.
Matches against the likes of Lincoln City, Oxford United and Peterborough could be key over Christmas, but it will all come down to holding their nerve in the second half of the season.