Despite being frustrated with Derby County’s drop in performance in the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United, Gary Rowett is pleased with how the festive period has gone for his side.
A goalless draw at Hull City was sandwiched between two hugely impressive wins against Millwall and Ipswich Town before the points were shared with the Blades on New Year’s Day.
Chris Wilder’s side came to Pride Park Stadium just two days after the 2-1 victory at Portman Road, and Rowett thought that his side lacked the necessary energy to earn the three points.
He told RamsTV: “We just didn’t play with the same quality or energy, and we’ve said it before that when we don’t play with that energy, we don’t look as good a team.
“It was a big ask to expect them to play with the same energy, and we couldn’t manage it.
“I said to the staff before the game that I would take a point. I thought it would be a tough game for us, they make it difficult against any opponent.
“You have to give them credit, they were very good and I wouldn’t have complained if that had have beaten us.”
The Rams are now seven games without defeat in the Sky Bet Championship, with only two goals conceded across what has been a testing spell for all concerned.
Rowett admitted that he could understand why the performance level took a dip after the brilliant victory in East Anglia, and he is satisfied with how the festive period has gone on the whole.
He said: “You can’t grumble at a point, it’s another game added to the unbeaten run, Cardiff have lost another game, there are other teams that are struggling to win games.
“If you asked me if I would take four points from these two games, I’d have been absolutely delighted.
“I’m not happy with the performance, but I can understand the reasons why.”
Derby don’t play again in the league until 13th January, with a trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United in the FA Cup Third Round next up on Friday.
The boss is pleased to have a break from the league schedule, and he also gave a fitness update ahead of the game against the Premier League giants.
He added: “It’s a nice game for us, there is no real pressure so we can go there and try to enjoy it.
“That doesn’t mean we’re not going to go and try to win it, but it will give us a little bit of breather from the league.”
On Joe Ledley and Tom Lawrence, he said: “They’re both hopeful, and you could see today that Joe was a miss in the heart of midfield, in retrospect I probably could have kept George in, but I thought it was a big ask for him.
“To play him for another 90 minutes with just one day rest would have been asking for trouble.
“I don’t think Johnno was 100 per cent fit today but I think he just wanted to get out there and be available because he wants to be a part of what we’re trying to do.”
