Fri 21 Nov - Posted in Breaking News
Time to read: 3mins
Matt Clarke has stressed that Derby County need to understand the good work they’ve done in recent weeks to try and maintain momentum when their Sky Bet Championship schedule resumes this weekend.
The 29-year-old has been a key figure in the Derby backline this season, starting all 15 matches in the league to date.
Clarke has formed a solid partnership in a three-man defence alongside Norwegian international Sondre Langås and loanee Dion Sanderson in recent weeks, helping the Rams to pick up an impressive five successive wins in the Championship prior to the November international break.
The centre-back, who had two loan spells with Derby in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, joined the club on a permanent basis earlier this year from Middlesbrough and put pen-to-paper on a three-year contract in the summer.
He recently surpassed 100 appearances in a Rams shirt and is relishing the side’s return to action following the November international break when Watford visit Pride Park Stadium on Saturday (3pm kick-off).
Clarke sat down with RamsTV to preview the clash with the Hornets and reflect on the side’s impressive run of results going into the two-week gap without a competitive fixture.
It has been good. No matter how good a run you are on, I think you always appreciate and embrace a bit of time to rest, recover and take stock before being ready to go again. There has been training and work to be done, so you never feel like you’re missing things too much. It is a good chance to fine-tune bits and mentally switch off as much as you can. We’ve got a period now where it is football for a long spell, which is what we want as players.
You always have an idea of who might be playing and stuff like that, and it is pleasing when the lads have a chance to play for their country. When there’s a big game with a lot on it and stuff like that, you keep an eye on it.
It has been alright! I try to have high standards for every training session and each game. I want to improve, and I guess you’re never entirely happy because there are always things you want more from. I am confident that I can go out and do what I need to do on the pitch. There is more to come and things I want from the season, for sure.
The whole defensive unit has done well, it is not just about the three centre-backs. As defenders, we believe it is important to have that foundation and the back three has worked well. It has been great to see Sondre come back into the frame and hit the ground running after a period out. It has worked well, but we want more. We feel we have defended well, largely, but we want more clean sheets and be more solid as a unit too.
We need to continue to focus on what we’ve been focussing on. Momentum is hard to get when you haven’t got it, and it is so easy to lose as well. It is so important in the Championship, and we need to understand the good work we’ve done and keep hold of that for as long as we possibly can.
Pride Park Stadium
Middlesbrough
Hull City
Wrexham
Derby County
Norwich City
Birmingham City
Swansea City
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