Derby County's form has been extremely poor in the last couple of months and their excellent start to life back in the Championship has now hit a stumbling block.
The Rams have won just one of their last 10 league games and following a 2-0 defeat to Leeds United on Saturday, they have slipped to 16th in the table - only three points above the relegation zone.
Paul Warne's side travel to Turf Moor to face promotion-chasing Burnley on Tuesday evening, in what is another tough clash for the East Midlands club, and they know that to get anything from the match, they will have to be extremely efficient with their play.
However, for Derby, that has been the story of their season, with set-pieces a particular strength, and one that could lead to comparisons with Premier League side Arsenal.
The Gunners' dominance at attacking corners has seen links drawn to the Stoke City of old but it is the Rams, not the Potters, that are most closely comparable in the current Championship.
Derby have been fantastic from set-pieces
The Rams' promotion campaign was based on the efficient style that Warne's teams are well-known for, and although they had more than enough quality to blow teams away from open play, dead ball situations were often successful.
They scored 25 times from corners, free kicks, and penalties in 2023/24, the most in League One, amounting to 32% of their goals.
This season, they have upped that percentage, with 50% of their strikes coming through set-pieces.
Championship Top Six Set-Piece Scorers (WhoScored.com)*
Team
1. Derby County
2. Millwall
3. Coventry City
4. West Bromwich Albion
5. Luton Town
6. Middlesbrough
*Stats correct as of 09/12/2024
Derby have only found the back of the net 22 times, with 11 of them coming from open play, but this efficiency from these other scenarios is very similar to that of Arsenal, who are becoming renowned in the Premier League for their quality from set-plays.
The Gunners have scored 23 goals from corners since the start of last season, following their 1-1 draw with Fulham, and while they have perhaps not reached the same heights that the Rams have in that area, they are showing that there is another way to win games.
Mikel Arteta has a coach specifically for these situations, Nicolas Jover, and he has been excellent in helping his players cause huge issues for opposition defences. Matt Hamshaw at Derby, while not a set-piece coach alone, has been in charge of the Championship side's attacking form from corners and free kicks.
derby boss Paul Warne celebrates promotion
The quality of the delivery makes all the difference in these scenarios, but you also need players who are willing to commit to headers and can free themselves to have the chance at winning the ball away from defenders - something that the Rams are excelling at.
Derby have to start firing from open play more
The biggest frustration for the Rams this season has been their failure to score consistently in games, and it has cost them greatly in the last few weeks.
Warne's side have not scored more than one goal in a game since they beat Coventry City 2-1 at the start of November, and they have dropped points to Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield Wednesday, and Swansea City at home since then because of their issues in front of goal.
Jerry Yates, Eiran Cashin, Derby County
Derby have had chances to put the ball in the back of the net, but have fluffed their lines too often to count, and they have slid down the table because of this difficulty.
If they can replicate their form from set-pieces into that of open play, then there is a strong chance that they can find their way out of this rut. However, at the moment, this seems unlikely, and for now, continuing to be the Arsenal of the Championship may be the only way they can push themselves away from the relegation zone.
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