3/1 To Win
Four members of Derby County’s squad have been named in the Sky Bet Championship’s Team of the Month for December.
Defenders Nathan Byrne and Matthew Clarke, as well as midfielder Krystian Bielik and striker Colin Kazim-Richards, were all top performers in the Championship during December, with seven clubs in total represented in WhoScored.com's Team of the Month.
During a busy month of Championship action, Derby picked up
three wins, three draws and a defeat from seven league outing during the final calendar
month of the year with Wayne Rooney leading the coaching team.
Here’s a look at what WhoScored.com said about Derby’s players:
Right-back: Nathan Byrne (Derby) - 7.45 rating
The first of four Derby representatives is right-back Byrne. Of the 19 points the Rams have accumulated this season, 12 were earned in December as Derby conceded fewer goals (2) than any other team.
Centre-back: Matthew Clarke (Derby) - 7.41 rating
Joining Byrne at the back is centre-back Clarke, who has been a key man in Derby's resurgence under Wayne Rooney. Clarke reinforced a WhoScored.com style of play of 'clears the ball out of defence often' with his 38 clearances one of the better returns in the Championship last month.
Central midfield: Krystian Bielik (Derby) - 7.56 rating
Bielik excelled in midfield, earning the man of the match in meetings with Brentford and Birmingham, scoring his first league goal of 2020/21 in the win over the latter.
Striker: Colin Kazim-Richards (Derby) - 7.24 rating
Experienced striker Kazim-Richards rounds off the Derby quartet and the team of the month. The 34-year-old joined the Rams back in October and has established himself as a vital component in Rooney's side. The Rams netted eight league goals last month, with Kazim-Richards netting three of those.
