Even though they are unbeaten in five league games, it has still been a frustrating start to the season for Derby County.

The Rams are in the bottom half of the Championship and off-field issues have overshadowed the opening few months of Phillip Cocu's reign.

To make matters worse, bitter rivals Nottingham Forest, themselves under new management, have got off to a flying start.

Sabri Lamouchi's men are only behind leaders West Brom on goal difference, they thrashed the Rams in the League Cup and there is a real feeling that they could finally push for promotion in this campaign.

Whilst it's not what Derby fans will want to hear, they can learn a lot from the way their fellow east Midlands side have started to ensure they are in with a shout of promotion come May too.

Here we look at THREE things that Cocu should be taking notice of...

Finding a settled spine for his team

When a new manager comes in it is always going to take time to find his best XI and both Lamouchi and Cocu have rotated a lot as they search for the right formula.

However, a key difference is that the Reds chief quickly realised who would be key men in his team.

After just a few weeks it became apparent that Brice Samba, Joe Worrall, Michael Dawson, Ben Watson, Joe Lolley and Lewis Grabban would be mainstays in this team when they are fit and available.

Having a strong spine is crucial to success and it's not the case at Pride Park. Kristian Bielik is switching from defence to midfield regularly, Chris Martin has come from nowhere to lead the line recently and Matt Clarke is in and out of the defence.

Of course, it's not Cocu's fault he is without the influential Richard Keogh but even so, this side is far from settled.

Possession isn't everything

You could argue that Cocu has realised this in the past month or so, which is obviously a positive.

He arrived with a clear philosophy and way of playing, which centred on dominating possession. Unfortunately, it didn't work initially and the side were predictable at times.

That's in stark contrast to Forest, who adapt and concentrate on what they need to do to win. If that's controlling the ball, they can do so, if it's countering at speed, they do that.

The 1-1 draw at Leeds was a potential turning point for Derby in that Cocu tweaked his style but it's important that he continues to do so moving forward.

He needs to get the fans onside

Again, you have to have sympathy for Cocu as a lot of problems he has encountered have stemmed from that night out the players had.

And, when Tom Lawrence and Mason Bennett go to court in five days time they will be splashed all over the news again and the circus surrounding Derby will resume.

So, the boss needs to do all he can to create a siege mentality and get everyone on side.

As a club, Forest are in a great place right now. The City Ground is full, the fans are totally on board with how things are going on and off the pitch and there is optimism about what the future holds.

That all helps increase confidence and Derby need to try and replicate that even if it is going to be tough.

 

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