It's safe to say that it's not been the start that many Derby fans would have hoped for in the Championship this season under Phillip Cocu. 

The Rams head into the international break sat 19th in the league table, and will know that they need to improve, especially if they are to stand any chance of finishing inside the play-off places this term.

One man that has struggled to make a significant impact for Derby is Kieran Dowell, who certainly hasn't been at his best this season.

In our latest FLW Spotlight, we look into Dowell's statistics so far from this year's league campaign with Phillip Cocu's side.

There were high-hopes for Dowell when he arrived at Derby during the summer, which came off the back of an impressive season with Sheffield United, with the Blades winning a long-awaited promotion back into the Premier League.

The midfielder has made six league appearances for Phillip Cocu's side this season, but hasn't done much to justify a regular starting spot in the Derby squad.

He's only played his part in one goal so far this term, and will need to make more of a contribution going forward as the season progresses.

There's no doubt in any supporters' mind that Derby are underperforming at this moment in time, but it's important that they turn their poor start around at the earliest of opportunities - otherwise they can forget about winning promotion back into the Premier League.

In the 2017/18 season, Dowell scored nine league goals for Nottingham Forest in his loan spell at the City Ground but he's struggled for confidence in front of goal with Derby, which will be a concern heading into the international break.

The 21-year-old has attempted just 12 shots in total, and with just 25% of those efforts being on target, it doesn't make for the best of reading for Dowell, who will know that he's not been at his best since arriving at Derby during the summer transfer window.

One statistic that does outline a strength that he has is his passing ability, with the midfielder having a pass accuracy of 80.2%.

This is something that he needs to build on, and if he can do that and settle into life with Phillip Cocu's side, then Derby will have a player with a bright future ahead of him on their hands.

It's still difficult to put your finger on what is going wrong at Derby at the moment, but it's clear to see that something just isn't right in the early stages of this year's league campaign.

Dowell needs to step up and provide the creative spark for the likes of Jack Marriott as soon as possible, otherwise Derby won't stand a chance of finishing inside the top-six this season.