Aston Villa and Derby County start in the same position under new managers.
Derby manager Steve McClaren during the press conference
Every season in the Championship, there is debate about the promotion fancies, relegation favourites and those who finish in the middle of the pack. This week a nice little subplot has come into play: Who will finish higher out of Aston Villa and Derby County?
New Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce during the press conference
If you are not a fan of either club, you may say who cares. The point of the discussion however is that both teams start in identically the same position under new managers Steve Bruce (Aston Villa) and Steve McClaren (Derby County) with 10 points after 11 games. The only thing separating the teams is a (+2) difference for Villa, so it is curious to see who pushes on at the two Midlands outfits.
Derby manager Steve McClaren during the press conference
Before the season, fans of both clubs would have been preparing themselves for a push for promotion as they had squads that had plenty of quality. Eleven games into the Championship season and they both are in the lower reachers of the table. Between them they have had one win from 10 home games, while overall winning just three of their 22 league games this season. These are shocking stats for any club, but made worse by the stature of both teams in the league.
For Aston Villa, while they remain unbeaten at home (1 win 4 draws), a major reason for their dropped points is due to coughing up leads late in matches. On four occasions, including three times at Villa Park, they have been in front going into the last ten minutes of games only to concede the equaliser, and also conceded a late winner to Sheffield Wednesday in the first game of the season.
Aston Villa’s Rudy Gestede in action
Incredibly Villa are yet to chalk up three points on their travels this calendar year with their last away day win coming against Bournemouth in August 2015. For Derby, it has been a lack of goals as they currently have the unwanted tag of lowest scorers in the Championship, having not scored more than one goal in a game this season.
Both Bruce and McClaren have plenty to fix and will see this as a challenge they will embrace, as well as a chance to further enhance their managerial credentials. Even though both men would not admit it publicly, there will be a sense of professional pride to see which team finishes higher up the table. For now both teams start on level pegging, just like the result of their clash in August.
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