Paul Warne will want to make a few changes to his side against Charlton Athletic and one of those could see him surprisingly ditch centre-back Sonny Bradley.
Derby County were in action three days ago as promotion hopefuls Barnsley recorded a 2-1 victory.
In that contest, Paul Warne used a 3-4-3 system for the second game running with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing playing as a lone striker.
Unfortunately, the 32-year-old isn’t as effective in that position and is much better cutting in from the left flank where he’s done a lot of damage this season.
Warne used Mendez-Laing as a number nine following the injury to James Collins, but now he’s hinted at giving Dwight Gayle his full debut, which could see him revert to his tried and trusted 4-3-3 formation.
The three centre-backs who played in the loss to Barnsley were Eiran Cashin, Curtis Nelson and Sonny Bradley.
Cashin and Nelson’s partnership has formed the backbone of their promotion push this term while Bradley’s introduction to the side has been a successful one.
He was lauded as ‘vital’ in the win over Stevenage and followed that performance up with a goal against the Tykes.
Sadly, if Warne wants to change formation to accommodate for the likes of Mendez-Laing and Gayle, Bradley is the most likely of the three centre-backs to make way.
Why Paul Warne should ditch Sonny Bradley v Charlton Athletic
Since Warne made the switch to a three-at-the-back system in the Stevenage victory, the Rams have struggled to create chances.
It took them till the 70th minute to register a shot on target in that match and they required a 90th minute winner from Louie Sibley to seal the three points.
Then, in the loss to Barnsley, the Rams struggled to threaten the opposition goal as much as they would have liked, although the introduction of Gayle did give them fresh attacking impetus.
Derby are far more threatening when they play with full-backs and wingers as opposed to wing-backs providing the width.
This is because their biggest threats are in wide areas with the likes of Mendez-Laing and Corey Blackett-Taylor running at opposition defences.
A change to a four-at-the-back system also gets the best out of Max Bird, who is given extra license to get forward with the protection of Ebou Adams and Conor Hourihane behind him.
All of the above ultimately outweighs the positives of playing Bradley in a three-at-the-back system as dropping the 32-year-old can give the Rams an improved attacking threat.
By all means, ditching the former Luton Town defender isn’t based on form or how he’s done since coming back into the side, it’s down to the tactical benefits of reverting to their 4-3-3 system.
This is a tough decision that faces Warne, especially after watching him score at the weekend, but this is where he earns his money as a manager.