Rooney so far at Derby – any improvements or signs?

There was no major surprise when Phillip Cocu was dismissed by Derby County after a poor start to the season, with many fans being disappointed such a highly regarded manager could not shape this team into potential promotion challengers. With Derby on the verge of a major £60million takeover by Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan, Derby turned to an interim appointment to get them through this period and ideally, out of the relegation places. Whilst it was known Wayne Rooney was eager on a move into coaching, no one could have anticipated how quickly he has jumped into this part of his career, and it seems to be, this is a relatively permanent move. But will this permanent move be in permanent charge of Derby, under the new ownership?

Rooney has started off his term in charge in solid form, unbeaten in his six games in sole charge and keeping four clean sheets, showing a decent improvement in performances and form whilst implementing his new philosophy. Despite this, Derby still find themselves in the relegation places, showing the struggles they faced under Cocu this season. Rooney has decided to not include himself in the squad when managing, seeing playing as a distraction from his management role. He is keen to move into management and sees this as the perfect opportunity to do so. Rooney feels the performances so far have justified his interim position and justified his credentials as the permanent manager.

In this tactical analysis, we will be looking at Rooney’s interim spell in charge of Derby so far, with the side showing signs of improvement and an upturn in form in his six games in charge. We will look to analyse through these six games what tactics Rooney has implemented, how successful these changes are and whether these changes are beneficial to Derby in the short and long term.

Derby have a recent history with hiring from the ‘golden’ age of English footballers, with Frank Lampard’s sole season in charge in 2018-19, before taking charge of Chelsea. It is tempting for those in charge of Derby currently to continue this trend following a relatively successful season under Lampard by hiring Wayne Rooney into the role, but will the new owners see it the same way?

Typical lineups

Under Cocu, Derby continued to develop exciting, young talent, and this trend has continued under Rooney’s tutelage, particularly as he has decided not to play himself during his spell in interim charge. Rooney has typically picked the same core spine of his team in order to stabilise, solidify and control the centre of the field. He has typically picked Marshall in goal, with Matthew Clarke and Andre Wisdom at centre back (and Curtis Davies prior to his injury), with Krystian Bielik in a holding midfield role and Colin Kazim-Richards being preferred up top.

Graeme Shinnie has also featured frequently in a preferred 4-2-3-1, although in the last game against Swansea, we saw a shift to a 4-3-3 to great success. Rooney has looked to blend youth with experience, using the experienced Craig Forsyth frequently on the left in rotation with Lee Buchanan. He has also used the energy and tenacity of players such as Louie Sibley, Max Bird and Jason Knight, with Knight being key to their win against Millwall.

This change to a 4-3-3 against Swansea was a key turning point for Rooney’s side. Whilst his team were becoming more solid at the back, they were still struggling to find the net, registering consecutive 0-0 draws against Brentford and Stoke. Derby have been showing clear progression on a defensive front, but the match against Swansea was a turning point and a sign of real progression due to their attacking prowess in this game.