Thu 25 Jan - Posted in News
Time to read: 3mins
Curtis Davies believes Derby County can take great pride in their impressive defensive record so far this season - and says the challenge in the coming months is to make sure they maintain their high standards.
Derby have kept 15 clean sheets in all competitions to date this term, of which 14 have been recorded in the Sky Bet Championship.
The Rams have the second-best defensive record in the division behind leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers and sit in second place after 28 games.
Davies has featured in all of the Rams’ league fixtures and been in impressive form at the heart of the defence, alongside skipper Richard Keogh, following his arrival from Hull City last summer.
The defender is clearly excited about the challenge of trying to maintain the high standards set by the squad and continue to remain solid as a team as the season begins to edge towards its conclusion.
The shut-outs have played a key role in Derby establishing themselves as a promotion contender and Davies insists that more will be needed in the months ahead.
He told RamsTV: “The amount of clean sheets we’ve kept, especially of late, is really pleasing.
“Those are the standards that we have set ourselves and it’s almost expected of us now to keep a clean sheet.
“We started the season off sloppily but we’ve really got it together in recent months.
“We know that if we keep a clean sheet then we will give ourselves a great chance to win.
“By doing what we do defensively, we know we only need one goal to win rather than needing two or three like we did at times earlier in the season.
“We are able to nick games and also have the ability to go and bash teams by three or four goals, as we have shown this season.”
Derby’s players are due to return from their warm-weather training camp in Dubai later today.
The squad flew out to the Middle East last Saturday, following the 0-0 draw against Bristol City on Friday evening, to spend a few days away as a group.
Davies says a change of scenery can only a good thing for the players, particularly with the Rams not in action this weekend owing to Millwall’s Emirates FA Cup commitments.
He said: “Going into the last third of the season; it has been a good time to get away, spend a bit of time together and bond as a team.
“When you’re not playing for ten days and you’re training every day, it’s easy for things to be a bit stale so to come away is a great idea by the manager.
“A change of scenery can only be a good thing and then we can get back home and continue to prepare for the Millwall game refreshed and ready to go.”
