John Eustace has struck gold with Derby County tweak – 30-year-old is absolutely thriving
After a tough start to life at Pride Park Stadium, John Eustace finally looks to have got his feet under the table with his Derby County team, and he has started their push for Championship survival.
The 45-year-old started his journey as the Rams’ head coach with three successive defeats, losing 4-0 away to QPR before 1-0 losses to Millwall and Middlesbrough followed, at home and on the road respectively.
Nevertheless, the East Midlands outfit have recovered from that wake-up call excellently, taking nine points in seven days against play-off hopefuls Blackburn Rovers and Coventry City before beating fellow relegation candidates Plymouth Argyle 3-2 on Saturday.
The latter of those victories could prove to be crucial, although Derby were forced to be patient after letting go of a 2-0 lead, and they left it late to pick up their third victory of 2025 through Marcus Harness. However, praise must be given to the player who set the winner up on a plate for the Ipswich Town loanee.
Callum Elder has excelled at Derby County in John Eustace’s short stint so far
Last season was a tough one for Callum Elder as he joined the Rams while they were playing in League One, and he spent a lot of his time in the treatment room.
However, in 2024/25, he has been a key part of both Paul Warne’s and now Eustace’s plans. The Australian has featured 28 times in the Championship so far this campaign, starting 23 of those matches.
He has played at both left-back and left wing-back, and it is in the latter of those two positions where he has excelled in the last couple of weeks.
Under Warne, the full-backs and wing-backs did not get as forward as they have done while Eustace has been in charge, and this slight tweak has helped Derby become more of a threat on the front foot.
The Rams have continued to be strong defensively, with Craig Forsyth, Matt Clarke, Nat Phillips and Sondre Langas all operating in the centre-back positions, but they are now more of a threat going forward with Kane Wilson causing issues on the right, while Elder has taken charge on the left.
It is clear to see that the 30-year-old is enjoying this freedom, and he was in the right place at the right time on Saturday to thread the ball across to Harness to hand the team an 88th-minute winner against Plymouth.
Callum Elder has put to bed any fears from the 2023/24 League One season
The left-back position was one that many felt the Rams needed to improve during the summer transfer window, with limited quality options. However, Elder has been able to put his injury problems from last season behind him.
At 30, he has a huge amount of experience and is continuing to get better and better each time he steps out onto the pitch.
Derby have had a huge number of fitness issues in 2024/25, but their Australian has managed to avoid them for the most part and he has at times gone under the radar with his consistency.
Eustace has a huge amount of trust in Elder, and if he continues to perform at his current level, he will only strengthen the Rams’ chances of staying in the Championship.
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