3/1 To Win
Phillip Cocu accepts it will be a challenge for his Derby County side to carry on where they left off prior to the suspension of the 2019/20 Sky Bet Championship season in March – but he says his players will do everything to make the club’s absent fans proud.
The COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the United Kingdom back in early March and as a result the football authorities elected to suspend the season until further notice.
After three months, competitive football will return this weekend but in a completely different way.
Matches are to be played behind closed doors, while preparation for games must be followed by the strict Return to Training protocols issued by the EFL.
Supporters can instead watch Derby in action live on RamsTV, which will provide unrivalled coverage of the Rams’ final nine league fixtures of the season.
The unexpected break in the season halted what was a positive time for Derby on the pitch.
A slow start to the season, which upon reflection was to be expected with a change of manager and loss of several key loan players during the summer, was followed by an upturn in results and performances after Christmas.
Derby had registered back-to-back league wins before the season ground to a halt to take them into the top half of the table.
The wins over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough and Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park Stadium, scoring three goals in each match, lifted the Rams to five points off a play-off spot.
Cocu says his squad must show faith and confidence in their qualities to carry on where they left off.
Speaking to RamsTV, Cocu said: “It is a big challenge to get back to where we were and especially for teams that like to have the ball and dominate.
“The more time you spend together practising and playing, the better you play the games. That is where the mutual understanding and confidence to play comes in the possession game.
“It is a challenge, but from what I have seen in the training sessions and what the players are doing physically and mentally, I think we’re in a good place.
“A good start, with nine games left in the season, is extremely important at this moment for the confidence of the players.
“We need faith and confidence in our qualities. We have tried to push each other to the maximum level of quality in the sessions.”
He added: “We have to deal with the circumstances we are in. We cannot complain; we can train and play again. We will do everything in our power to please our fans with good football and results.
“They are not allowed to see us live in the stadiums, but on TV and streaming they can watch, and we will do everything we can to make them proud.”
Derby’s first game back in action will see them head south to take on Millwall at The Den on Saturday (1pm kick-off).
Cocu and his players have been back on the grass at Moor Farm Training Centre since the end of May and have, under the Return to Training guidelines, been able to gradually increase their work.
The Dutchman admits there has been a similar feeling to pre-season in the work the coaching staff have been doing with the players.
Cocu is happy with how his squad have performed in training and he feels they have handled adapting to the new way of working with professionalism.
He explained: “It is not like a normal pre-season where you have six weeks; we have had a few weeks to prepare.
“We started with individual seasons and then that in increased to four players, then up to eight, and then into contact sessions.
“It was an unusual build-up but, in a way, it has felt like a short pre-season before the restart. I think we are almost prepared to start again. We can be happy with the performance and attitude of the players.
“We have had to adapt. The players are reacting in a very positive way to get back on the grass and prepare for matches again.”
Don’t forget you can see Derby County return to action on Saturday at Millwall LIVE on RamsTV from 12:30pm on Saturday afternoon. Sign up to RamsTV and purchase your streaming pass here: dcfc.co.uk/page/ramstv.
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