Ronny Goodlass’s pre-match report: Derby v Liverpool

Dec 26 2007 by Richard Williamson, Liverpool Daily Post

DERBY picked up their first point in four games under Paul Jewell at Newcastle and will take heart from that.

The former Wigan man has got them more organised and the players will have gained some additional self-belief after performing well in front of 50,000 in the north east.

With the home support behind them, they will want to have a real go at Liverpool and wipe out the memory of that 6-0 drubbing.

Defence

The big problem for Derby has been dealing with the quality of players on view in the Premier League.

Darren Moore is an old-fashioned style defender in that he has a real physical presence, is big, powerful and aggressive. If Liverpool lump the ball down the middle, he is likely to have a more comfortable afternoon but a bit of movement will unsettle the home defence.

It’s fair to say Derby would prefer to see Peter Crouch up front rather than Dirk Kuyt or Fernando Torres – but his suspension rules him out. Derby are still prone to lapses in concentration as they showed against Newcastle. The second equaliser came when Moore misjudged a long punt forward and ended up heading the ball into the path of Mark Viduka. With Dean Leacock caught directly behind his defensive partner, Viduka was left with space to score.

Stephen Bywater is a real character in goal and will constantly be talking to his back four.

Midfield

On paper this is an area where Liverpool look so strong, so Derby will be looking to get their tackles in from the first whistle and try and disrupt the rhythm.

Giles Barnes is the pick of the Derby midfield and likes to get forward. Gary Teale and Eddie Lewis work really hard at getting up and down the flanks and will be looking to get their crosses in and add width to the Derby attack.

Stephen Pearson, who joined from Celtic, is a box to box player who can dribble and tackle. But Derby lack a real Roy Keane-style ball winner in the middle of the park, and while they look good in possession, they will have problems wresting the ball back.

Attack

In Kenny Miller and Steve Howard, Derby have a real little and large look to their attack. But the pair combine well together.

Newcastle found the height of Howard a real handful. He is six foot three, has scored plenty of goals and knows how to use his height.

He is not afraid to drop deeper. He can then either try and win the ball in the air and flick it on to Miller, who will happily run beyond him, or feed the ball out to the wide players and then move forward into the penalty area to try and get on the end of the cross himself.

Although not blessed with a lot of pace, Howard can mix it up, play the holding game or pass the ball on.

But defenders largely know how he is going to play, while Miller has a few more tricks to his game. He showed quick feet to outwit the Newcastle defence before scoring at the weekend and when Shay Given might have expected a shot the far post, he coolly side-footed a powerful effort in at the near post.

Dangerman

KENNY MILLER – will try to unsettle Liverpool with his movement in and around the box and is a cool finisher. The question mark is over whether his side have enough quality to create the chances for him.

Overall verdict

Derby have found it hard to break down teams in the Premier League, and Liverpool should have too much pace and quality for them. But from the very first tackle, Liverpool must show the right attitude. Remember Reading!

Ronny Goodlass was talking to RICHARD WILLIAMSON