- Founded 1884
- Stadium Pride Park
- Manager John Eustace
- Competition Championship 2026-27
- Goals 9
- Goals Conceded 20
- Yellow Cards 26
- Total Red Cards
Derby Squawka Score ratings 2026/27
A season on from missing the play-offs by a single point, Derby County are 22nd with five points from eight. John Eustace’s side have won once, scored seven and conceded 14, and have been beaten five times already. The individual numbers are better than the position; the results have not followed. Below, we take a look at Derby’s most-used XI so far and how each player has performed, based on the Squawka Score rating system.
The Squawka Score is a metric developed to assess a player’s performance relative to other players in the same position. It is shown as a percentage, and it is worth knowing that 66% is average rather than 50% – a 70% is a good afternoon and 85% or above marks out one of the best players on the pitch. Each score is calculated from a range of per-90-minute statistics, taking in the obvious numbers such as goals and assists alongside some more obscure ones that are far more position-specific. A player’s season figure is simply the average of his match ratings.
One note on the Championship: the division does not carry expected-goals data, so these ratings are built on volume and quality of actions – shots, big chances, duels, clearances, passes into the box – rather than xG and xA.
GK: Zetterström – 69% – Twenty-eight saves and a club-leading 38 progressive passes from seven starts, with four completed sweeper actions. Zetterström has been one of the busiest goalkeepers in the division and has kept the goal difference from being far worse.
RB: Max Johnston – 51% – Two starts, 162 minutes and nothing recorded. The lowest rating in the side by a distance and a sample too small to judge, but right-back has been a problem position all season.
RCB: Sondre Langås – 62% – Forty-two clearances leads the club, with seven tackles won and 16 possessions regained in his own third from every available minute. Three yellow cards is the only real criticism.
LCB: Dion Sanderson – 65% – Thirty-four duels won, 22 aerials, nine blocked shots and 19 possessions regained in his own third from seven starts. Sanderson has been the more physical half of the pairing and the more reliable of the two.
LB: Charlie Taylor – 60% – Seventy passes into the final third and eight interceptions from every available minute, but 14 conceded on his watch is the club’s worst figure and 10 fouls does not help. Taylor has been exposed repeatedly down the left.
RCM: Alex Mowatt – 70% – Fifteen tackles won, 11 interceptions, 97 passes into the final third and 26 possessions regained in the middle third all lead the club, with eight chances created and 22 corners. At 31, Mowatt is doing more than anyone else in this midfield.
LCM: David Ozoh – 61% – Three starts from four appearances and 294 minutes with nothing of note. Ozoh has not had the run of games to establish himself.
AM: Bobby Clark – 72% – The best player at the club. Two goals, two assists, a club-leading 10 chances created, 36 touches in the opposition box, 39 duels won and 14 completed take-ons, with 92 passes into the final third. Clark carries Derby forward more than anyone; 44 duels lost is the cost.
RW: Ryan Hedges – 60% – Five starts, 343 minutes and a big chance missed. Hedges has offered almost nothing from the right and it is the position Derby most need to strengthen.
LW: Corey Blackett-Taylor – 63% – Two starts and 140 minutes, with six completed take-ons the only figure of note. Far too small a sample to draw conclusions from.
ST: Carlton Morris – 68% – A goal, an assist and two clear-cut chances created from four starts, with 28 aerial duels won – the most at the club – and 26 touches in the opposition box. Morris offers a focal point Derby have lacked when he has not played.
Derby County’s set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Carlton Morris
- Free-kicks: Lars-Jørgen Salvesen
- Corners: Joe Ward, Alex Mowatt
Joe Ward has taken 24 of Derby’s corners to Alex Mowatt’s 22. Lars-Jørgen Salvesen has had one of the direct free-kicks. Derby are yet to be awarded a penalty, so Carlton Morris’ status as the taker is inherited rather than proven.
Derby County FAQs
How have Derby started the 2026/27 season?
Badly. Derby are 22nd on five points from eight games, with one win and five defeats, and have conceded 14 goals while scoring seven.
Who is Derby’s best player this season?
Bobby Clark on 72%, with two goals, two assists and more chances created, box touches and take-ons than anyone else at the club. Alex Mowatt is next on 70%.
Where did Derby County finish in the 2025/26 Championship season?
Derby County finished eighth in the Championship in the 2025/26 campaign with 69 points, missing out on the play-offs by a single point on the final day of the season.
Who is the Derby County manager?
John Eustace is the current Derby County head coach. He was appointed in February 2025, initially guiding the Rams to survival before leading them to their highest league finish in seven years.
Who is the current Derby County captain?
Lewis Travis is the Derby County captain. The former Blackburn Rovers midfielder was handed the armband by Eustace at the start of the 2025/26 season.