Thu 30 Jul
Time to read: 3mins
Stephen Warnock insists that Derby County can take a lot of positives away from their second half performance after they fought back to claim a worthy 1-1 draw with Villarreal.
Stephen Warnock insists that Derby County can take a lot of positives away from their second half performance after they fought back to claim a worthy 1-1 draw with Villarreal.
Andreas Weimann opened up his pre-season account with a strike shortly after the hour mark as Paul Clement’s side took their preparations for the new season up another notch.
Warnock, 33, was one of a number of players who completed their first 90 minutes ahead of the Rams’ opening Sky Bet Championship clash against Bolton Wanderers next weekend.
Derby had plenty of chances to beat the La Liga outfit, who will compete in the Europa League this season, and Warnock believes that some players have only added to Clement’s selection headache ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
“It’s up to the Head Coach, it’s his decision, but I thought tonight went well,” the full back told Rams Player HD after being quizzed about putting himself in the frame for a starting position at Bolton.
“The lads put on a great display and a lot of them will have put something in the boss’s mind going into the new season.
“They are a very good team, they are a quality outfit and it is easy to get sucked into pressing them at the wrong times.
“We learned that early on and we put that right in the second half.
“There are a lot of positives to come out of the game in the second half. We played on the front foot and tried to be positive.
“It’s difficult because you are coming up against such a quality outfit and you have to be wary about keeping the back door shut. That’s a happy medium that you have to get right.
“It was a nice free kick that caught them out and Tom (Ince) played a great ball through to play Andi (Andreas Weimann) in.
“It was clever and it caught them off guard. We had plenty of chances to win the game.
“Chrissy (Chris Martin) probably should have scored, we said that after the game, and he said that as well. We also had the penalty, which are always great chances to score.”
Reflecting on the contest, Warnock also believes that the disappointment Derby’s players felt at the end of the game is an indicator of how strong their performance against Villarreal.
The former England international, though, insists that the meeting with Marcelino’s side was another step in the right direction ahead of the visit to Bolton a week on Saturday.
He added: “It’s a good feeling that we are coming away feeling like we could have beaten a top Spanish side.
“They play European football, they have done very well in the league and I think that they will have another strong year this time around as well.
“Being ready for 8 August is the main thing for us. It’s nice to get a good result tonight – one that we are disappointed that we didn’t go on to win – but the main focus is to be ready for the Bolton game.”
