Derby County’s Craig Bryson struggled again at Stoke City Wednesday evening.
Derby County dropped out of the Championship playoff places for the first time in over a month as they were defeated 2-1 at Stoke City, despite the hosts playing more than an hour with just 10 men.
The Rams headed into the encounter with the Potters coming off the back of a 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday, but Derby manager Frank Lampard made several changes to the side – and to the midfield in particular.
Bradley Johnson came in for Tom Huddlestone, and Craig Bryson came in for Duane Holmes. Neither player lasted the 90 minutes, and Lampard must take full responsibility for his side’s disappointing defeat.
The former Chelsea midfielder is in his first job as manager, and most Derby supporters would say he is doing a decent job, with the football far more pleasing on the eye than in the recent past.
But Lampard’s loyalty to experienced midfielder Craig Bryson is an issue, with the Scotland international’s inclusion in the first-team largely coinciding with the club’s poorer displays this season.
Bryson is a popular figure at Derby, but, at 32 he doesn’t have the legs to push forward through the middle like a Harry Wilson and doesn’t have a play-maker instinct of a Mason Mount.
At Stoke, Bryson took 62 touches and completed 90.7% of his passes (Whoscored), but his general play was negative and his lack of speed both on and off the ball meant it was easy for the Potters to get back into position.
Derby’s best performances this season came when Bryson was out of the team injured. Wilson and Mount then took up a central role alongside Huddlestone, and in the space of a week the Rams beat West Bromwich Albion 4-1 at the Hawthorns and dominated Middlesbrough in a 1-1 draw at the Riverside.
Shoehorning Bryson into the XI at the expensive of Wilson (who is pushed out wide) and either Martyn Waghorn or Florian Jozefzoon (who are dropped to the bench) is ultimately detrimental to the team, and an error Lampard must put right quickly.
Derby have averaged 1.5 points per game this season when Bryson has started, and two points per game without him.
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