Derby County manager Phillip Cocu has not been surprised by what he has seen from teams in the Sky Bet Championship so far this season.
The Rams are unbeaten so far in the division following a 2-1 win against Huddersfield Town in their opening game of the season, whilst that was followed up with two draws against Swansea City and Stoke City.
And the manager has been impressed by what he has seen, not only from his squad but from the division itself.
“Most of the teams try to play good football,” he told RamsTV. “They try to build up from behind and the technical skills of the players are good.
“It’s not a surprise because I saw a lot of games before I joined here but to experience the games when the league starts is a little different.
“It’s a very good level of football, together also with the passion of the game. Everyone gives 100%, there is a high tempo, everyone is physically fit and strong so it’s a really tough league.”
Another tough test lies ahead for Cocu’s side this evening as Bristol City head to Pride Park Stadium this evening (7:45pm kick-off).
The Robins have one win, one draw and one defeat from their opening three games and the manager is wary of their threats.
“It is a team who play in different styles of football,” he said. “They are sometimes 4-3-3, sometimes 5-3-2, so we have to be prepared.
“We have to focus on our own game but be prepared for their qualities. We played them in pre-season so we know them a little bit better than other teams.
“However, we know that none of the games are easy so we have to show the best and put in a good performance with our home fans behind the team, we will do everything to get a good result.”
