Warne could drop 5/10 Derby County man to start Tom Barkhuizen

Warne could drop 5/10 Derby County man to start Tom Barkhuizen

Derby County will aim to head back to winning ways on Tuesday night, making the long journey down to Exeter City, the Rams nowhere near their attacking best last match up against Shrewsbury in a 1-1 draw.

Only registering three shots on target in a blunt display against Paul Hurst’s lowly Shrews, Paul Warne will look at what he can do to his starting XI to overcome the Grecians up next and not fall victim to another off-day in-front of goal.

Joe Ward could well be one casualty to Warne’s lineup for the lengthy trip to Devon as a result, the summer signing from Peterborough United underwhelming mores time than not when pulling on a Rams strip this season.

Joe Ward’s performance vs Shrewsbury in numbers

Only lasting for 45 minutes before being substituted off indicates that Warne wasn’t best impressed with Ward’s showing at the weekend, the below-par right winger frustrating those watching on at Pride Park in the process.

The Derby number 23 would give up possession nine times from just 28 touches of the ball against the Shrews, on top of only completing one accurate cross for the likes of James Collins to try and latch onto.

The underperforming ex-Posh man was also weak when it came to asserting himself into duels, only winning one out of the five duels that came his way.

Ward’s passive display might well have allowed Hurst’s underdogs to grow in confidence and not feel scared about playing a team near the top-end of League One, with Aaron Pierre then managing to equalise late on for the plucky visitors to steal a surprise share of the points.

Derbyshire Live journalist Josh Holland was critical of Ward’s forgettable 45 minutes in his post-match thoughts, handing out a 5/10 rating to the 5 foot 6 midfielder who ‘really struggled to get into the game’.

With Warne needing his players to be more switched on and ruthless even when facing off against opposition they should comfortably overcome, the Rams boss could axe Ward from his starting lineup for the trip to Exeter tonight.

Tom Barkhuizen is the logical replacement for the sub-par Derby number 23, with the ex-Preston North End man far more dangerous going forward in his second half showing than Ward last time out.

Tom Barkhuizen’s season in numbers

Barkhuizen very much fits the mould of the ageing Derby team Warne has at his disposal, with the tricky attacker being 30 years of age.

Yet, even as his career gradually winds down, the Rams number seven has been a thorn in the side for many League One defences this season with the 5 foot 10 winger onto six goals in all competitions from 31 appearances.

The experienced midfielder – who is comfortable playing down both channels – stood out when Derby had to mount a comeback to win against Burton Albion last month – helping himself to a goal and an assist in a standout individual display that steered the Rams back on course to a dramatic 3-2 win.

Barkhuizen’s numbers vs Burton

Minutes played

89

Goals

1

Assists

1

Key passes

3

Shots on target

3

Passes completed

18/26 (69%)

Stats by Sofascore

The former Preston man tried his hardest to help his team pull off another win against Shrewsbury when introduced into the contest, but his best efforts were to no avail – hitting a solitary effort off target on a poor collective day at the office for Warne’s promotion chasers.

Described as being “brilliant” by football journalist Leigh Curtis early into his Rams career, the £7.6k-per-week winger will hope he has done enough to break back into the first-team fold against Exeter tonight.

Derby can’t afford many more slip-ups if they want to make that second spot in the third tier their own, meaning Ward’s time in the starting lineup could now be up as Warne becomes more cut-throat with the pressure intensifying.