Eiran Cashin fuels transfer talk as Derby County tick three boxes in unrelenting Groundhog Day
Derby County's hopes of climbing out of the Championship relegation zone were shattered as they lost 2-1 at Cardiff City.
Derby got off to an encouraging start when Jerry Yates latched onto a header from Callum Elder, took aim and forced a smart save from Jak Alnwick. At the other end, Jacob Widell Zetterstrom had to be alert to make a save to deny Joe Ralls who had taken aim from 25 yards with his shot heading to the top corner.
From there on in, Derby assumed control and Paul Warne's side felt they had taken the lead when Yates fired past Alnwick. However the offside flag went up, sparking plenty of protests from the visitors.
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A brilliant tackle from Ebou Adams then rescued a dangerous situation for Derby before Kenzo Goudmijn saw a fierce drive saved. Salvesen was a real handful for the visitors and he soon connected with an Elder cross but he couldn't divert it past Alnwick.
Derby packed a threat from set-pieces, and Corey Blackett-Taylor connected with a loose ball in the box when any firm contact would have brought a goal. Cardiff were much improved after the break and they forced themselves ahead when Zetterstrom fumbled a shot from Callum Robinson and the striker made no mistake from the rebound. And it was then 2-0 when Anwar El Ghazi pounced to round off a counter attack.
But Salvesen soon pulled a goal back when he headed Jerry Yates' cross beyond Alnwick and the Norwegian fluffed a glorious chance to make it 2-2 when he headed straight at the goalkeeper from six yards.
At the other end, Zetterstrom bailed Craig Forsyth out of trouble when his mistake handed El Ghazi a chance, but the goalkeeper made an outstanding save and he was at it again when he dived to keep out Yousef Salech as the pressure continues to mount on head coach Paul Warne after a sixth straight league defeat.
Same old story
Watching Derby at the moment is like an unrelenting Groundhog Day of missed chances, defensive weakness and injuries. All three of those boxes were sadly ticked once again here in a defeat that was as regrettable as the circumstances were predictable. Derby had initially looked a good bet to take something from this game courtesy of a strong first-half performance, which saw Jerry Yates have a goal ruled out for offside.
But the half-time whistle came, Cardiff probably got a rocket and in the space of a madcap five minutes in the second half, the hope of a first victory since Boxing Day quickly disintegrated. In games like this, first goals are hugely important, and the one Derby conceded was pivotal. Jacob Widell Zetterstrom has made a pretty significant impact since his arrival from Djurgarden, but the mistake he made in pushing Callum Robinson's shot straight back into the danger zone rather than away from it, was a significant gaffe that he will have to take on the chin. Eiran Cashin made his feelings clear to the Sweden international, but before Derby had time to regain their senses, Anwar El Ghazi had sliced through the defence to make it 2-0.
Lars Jorgen-Salvesen scored a fine header to give Derby hope but then missed a gilt-edged chance for an equaliser. That was pretty much the story of the game which has only increased the noise surrounding the club's position and the future of head coach Paul Warne. He came out fighting after the game and said he still believed he was capable of rescuing the situation. He needs results and fast, but the major worry is that some players just don't look as if they have another level to go to. The same problems keep happening and the arguments from some that this is an unlucky team just do not carry any weight.
Cashin off?
The Derby academy graduate spent a long time waving to the fans after the game, which many took as a sign he would be off in the coming days.
We will have to wait and see what transpires, but if he is heading out of the door and it is to the Premier League, then can we really hold it against him? Brighton's interest has never gone away, and while Derby have made it clear they were not willing to sell him this window, let's be real here, every player has a price. Even Man City will sell players if the fee is right.
And so if Cashin does leave and the money can be invested back in the team with significant additions, then we have to shove sentimentality out of the door. He's been an incredible player and clearly is somebody who has invested so much into the club both professionally and personally.
But if any sale can help enhance the team with high-quality signings elsewhere, giving them a better chance of staying up, then Derby certainly have a decision to make.
Up and running
Norwegian striker Lars Jorgen-Salvesen scored on his first start for the club, and it was the kind of goal we were promised we would see after his arrival from Viking FK.
It was a well-taken header from Jerry Yates' cross, and the only surprise was that he didn't make the net bulge again moments later when he headed straight at the goalkeeper from a Nathaniel Mendez-Laing corner.
What was impressive about the striker was the intelligence he showed with his positional play. He always seems to drift into positions that centre-backs find uncomfortable, and in the last two games alone it's not outlandish to say he could have scored four times.
There were also promising signs of a partnership with Jerry Yates, who seemed to enjoy not having the burden of leading the line himself, which is a pretty thankless task. What Derby need to find now is a creative midfield player who is capable of conjuring up chances through the middle of the pitch to give the Rams a different attacking dimension. But Salvesen has settled in very quickly and his performance was undoubtedly a positive.
Welcome return
He may have only been on the pitch for a few minutes but how good was it to see David Ozoh back on the pitch? He immediately demonstrated that calmness in possession that the other midfielders just don't have.
Keeping him fit for the rest of the season is imperative to Derby's hopes of firing themselves out of the predicament they find themselves in and it was also good to see Ryan Nyambe back in the fold after a long layoff with a knee injury.
Both players are Championship ready and with the window having a few days to run before it shuts, Derby now have to supplement it with the same calibre of players in attacking positions, most notably out wide.
Corey Blackett-Taylor just doesn't look durable, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's form has been a disappointment and Marcus Harness's performance levels are never consistent. It's an area ripe for improvement.
