Derby v Swans | Vital Football

Derby v Swans

keith margam

Vital Football Legend
Derby County v Swansea City Wed 16 Dec 17:30 (live on Sky Sports).
Thankfully, for the players sake at least, we are coming to the end of the congested fixture schedule on Sat Jan 2. Then there is a welcome two week break from league action with only an FA Cup tie at Stevenage to play on Sat 9 Jan.
First though we have five important matches and next up are Derby, who have been struggling this season.
After the euphoria of beating our local rivals so well on their own patch, confidence will be high as we travel to face a side who are showing signs of rejuvenation under the charge of Wayne Rooney.
The former Manchester United forward took over as joint-caretaker manager, with Liam Rosenior, Shay Given and Justin Walker, following Philip Cocu's sacking on 14 Nov. They are waiting on a proposed take over from an Abu Dhabi Sheikh to be ratified before selecting a new manager.
Derby are unbeaten in the last five games of the seven he’s been in charge, so they will be no pushovers. Here’s Rooney’s comments after their latest game, a 0-0 home draw against Stoke on Saturday: "We created some good chances. I thought we played some really good football, especially first half when I thought we dominated. It was one of those games where you know if we didn't get a goal in that period, Stoke would have a few moments. But really I don't think they troubled us at all, so I'm pleased with the clean sheet again”.
 
Derby results under Wayne Rooney:
21/11 B City 1 - Derby 0
25/11 Boro 3 - Derby 0
28/11 Derby 1 - Wycombe 1
1/12 Derby 1 - Coventry 1
5/12 Millwall 0 - Derby 1
9/12 Brentford 0 - Derby 0
12/12 Derby 0 - Stoke 0
 
Derby team news:
Midfielder Graeme Shinnie is available again after serving a one-match ban.
Forward Tom Lawrence will have a late fitness test on an ankle injury.
Centre-back Curtis Davies is out of action with an Achilles injury.
Midfielder Duane Holmes returns after a family bereavement.
Winger Jordon Ibe, midfielder Louie Sibley and young forward Jack Stretton played for Derby U-23’s on Mon night to build up their sharpness, and they are expected to be on the bench.
 
Wayne Rooney:
“Swansea are a good team; they like to move the ball around and they try to make the pitch as big as they can in possession.
Defensively it will be a challenge, so we have to be ready and disciplined in our defensive work.
There will be chances for us to get at Swansea when we have the ball in possession, so I think it will be an interesting game and a bit more tactical.
We have to make sure we’re the ones who come out on top.”
 
The teams:

Derby County: David Marshall (captain), Andre Wisdom, Graeme Shinnie, Krystian Bielik, Kamil Jozwiak, Martyn Waghorn, Nathan Byrne, Colin Kazim-Richards, Matthew Clarke, Lee Buchanan, Jason Knight.

Substitutes: Kellie Roos, Craig Forsyth, Max Bird, Louie Sibley, George Evans, Duane Holmes, Kornell McDonald, Jack Stretton, Jamal Hector-Ingram.

Swansea City: Freddie Woodman; Kyle Naughton, Ryan Bennett, Marc Guehi; Connor Roberts, Korey Smith, Jay Fulton, Matt Grimes (captain), Jake Bidwell; Jamal Lowe, Andre Ayew.

Substitutes: Steven Benda, Ryan Manning, Viktor Gyokeres, Wayne Routledge, Liam Cullen, Yan Dhanda, Jordon Garrick, Ben Cabango, Kasey Palmer.
 
3 mins gone and were 1-0 down. Pathetic defending, free kick and Kazim- Richards walks it in, Roberts sleeping.
 
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16 mins Roberts losing the ball every time, what’s going on here. We look in disarray, we can’t string two passes together. Swans playing as if they’re in a training game. This is embarrassing, Derby outplaying us.
 
37 mins 2-0 Jozwiak, Swans defence spectators, a free shot, the defence are just watching. Highly embarrassing this, you could change the whole team at half time.
They are doing to us what we did to Cardiff. Only difference is the opposition is a team that couldn’t score or couldn’t win and are third from bottom.
 
46 mins Kazim-Richards header hit the bar, could have been four goals to nil except for the woodwork. This is a nightmare, this team haven’t won at home all season.
Sky commentators are loving this.
This is the time of season last season where we went into a bad run and here we go again.
 
HT Derby 2 - Swans 0
Shots 10 - 2
On target 5 - 0
Swans players have believed all the hype after the Cardiff win and came here thinking they could just stroll around and win this one without any effort.
There are more goals to come.
 
Three subs on for the second half - Dhanda, Manning, and Palmer and we’ve reverted to a back four.
Naughton, Bidwell, Fulton off
 
55 min Slightly better from Swansea, still not a shot on goal, Derby better passing and fighting for every ball, there’s more fight in them.