Opinion

Paul Warne has bold decision to make after what wasteful Derby County star did vs Plymouth Argyle

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After the 1-1 draw against Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon, one thing has become abundantly clear for Derby County, and Paul Warne is going to have to consider some changes on the right wing moving forward.

Derby County have been performing fairly well on their return to the second tier, and the Rams currently find themselves in 12th place in the Championship table after that draw at the weekend.

That was the fourth 1-1 draw Derby have registered since the start of the season, though, and if there is one thing holding Paul Warne’s side back right now, it’s a lack of goals and that killer instinct needed to prevail in tight matches.

While Jerry Yates has impressed fans with his recent form, there are question marks being raised about the effectiveness of Kayden Jackson on the wing. But, the solution to this problem is fairly simple.

Derby County FC v Plymouth Argyle FC - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Kayden Jackson wasted chances against Plymouth Argyle

Though spending most of his career as a centre-forward, since signing for Derby in the summer on a free transfer, Jackson has been converted to playing out wide on the right.

Overall this season, he’s not played especially poorly, and has a half-decent return of three goals and two assists from 17 games in all competitions.

However, a look at Jackson’s stats via SofaScore from this weekend’s game against Plymouth does not make for particularly pleasing reading if you’re a Derby fan.

The 30-year-old completed just 67% of his 24 passes on the day, and only 28.5% of his seven crosses met their targets, while none of his long balls were successful.

Jackson did make two key passes in the game, though, and had a 66% success rate with his dribbling. That said, he did lose the ball a massive 15 times, and was only successful in two of his eight duels across the 90 minutes.

Derby County v Blackpool - Sky Bet League One
Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Corey Blackett-Taylor could be the answer for Paul Warne

Luckily, Warne has a remedy for this issue among the players in the Derby County squad, with Corey Blackett-Taylor the obvious replacement for Jackson.

The 27-year-old is a more natural winger, and he is certainly more calm and composed on the ball than Jackson. Blackett-Taylor offers more in terms of crossing, too, and is perfect for games where Derby will enjoy the majority of possession, as he can work situations that will hurt opponents far better.

Jackson does have his benefits, of course. He’s incredibly fast, and is great at playing neat pull-backs from the byline and edge of the box as opposed to more direct crosses. When Derby are going to struggle to get the ball, and need to make the most of every sniff of an opportunity, Jackson is their man.

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Looking at Derby’s upcoming fixtures, we have the perfect example of where both players will have their uses. Against Preston, a team who average 48.9% possession (10th worst in the Championship according to FBRef data), Derby would be wiser to employ the talents of Blackett-Taylor to make the most of their likely dominance.

Meanwhile, Swansea are second best for possession statistics in the Championship (59.7%), and will probably try to suffocate Derby somewhat. The pace and creativity Jackson offers there would be useful in unlocking a stubborn Swansea unit.

So, it’s not necessarily time to give up on Kayden Jackson. Far from it, but based on his performance against Plymouth, Warne is simply going to have to pick and choose more carefully when he uses the experienced attacker.

Introducing Blackett-Taylor would also benefit Rams captain, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, who could shift to his more comfortable right side. If that move unlocks the best from Mendez-Laing, too, then Warne can reap the rewards.