Derby manager Wayne Rooney has praised the mentality of his players as they look to continue their impressive run of form at promotion-chasing Watford.
The Rams have won five and lost one of their last six matches in the Sky Bet Championship to climb out of the relegation places and could move up to 15th with a victory at Vicarage Road.
“The big thing is the mentality of the players,” Rooney told a pre-match press conference. “I said after the game against Wycombe that I believe in these players, they are good football players, they have got a lot of ability.
“The first thing I wanted to get out of them was more character, more communication on the pitch among each other, and I wanted players working and fighting for the shirt. I feel I have got that.
“Once you have got that in your team it gives the players a chance to go and showcase their ability a bit more than they were able to.
“I have never been worried about us going down, getting relegated, the same way I can’t look and think ‘Right, if we win this game we are going to get top half’ or anything higher than that because we just have to keep trying to win games. If we do that, we will end up where we deserve to end up.
“The lads are buying into what we are doing and the information we are giving them, and it is the players who have to take the credit.
“They are taking responsibility, they are working hard each day in training and they are showing a great desire to play for this club and to win for this club, and that is all I can ask of them.
“My job now, and the coaches’ job now is to try and keep this run going and try and build momentum. The players deserve a lot of credit for the last two months.”
Watford manager Xisco Munoz has backed his players to cope with the extended absence of club captain Troy Deeney as they chase promotion.
A scan has revealed Deeney suffered damage to his Achilles tendon in the draw at Coventry and he is set to be sidelined for several weeks, with Tom Cleverley keeping possession of the captain’s armband against Derby.
“We need to come into the game with a big intensity, be clever and have maximum aggression,” Munoz said. “We know we have a big challenge, we have in front of us a very good team, so it’s important to have a good mentality.
“Troy is the captain all the time, but other experienced players are out too, like (Ben) Foster, like (Christian) Kabasele.
“It’s important the experienced players stay with us, and also the captains every time help us on and off the pitch. Now is the moment for other leaders to give their maximum on the pitch.”
Watford vs Derby County - Match Preview
Derby manager Wayne Rooney has praised the mentality of his players as they look to continue their impressive run of form at promotion-chasing Watford.
The Rams have won five and lost one of their last six matches in the Sky Bet Championship to climb out of the relegation places and could move up to 15th with a victory at Vicarage Road.
“The big thing is the mentality of the players,” Rooney told a pre-match press conference. “I said after the game against Wycombe that I believe in these players, they are good football players, they have got a lot of ability.
“The first thing I wanted to get out of them was more character, more communication on the pitch among each other, and I wanted players working and fighting for the shirt. I feel I have got that.
“Once you have got that in your team it gives the players a chance to go and showcase their ability a bit more than they were able to.
“I have never been worried about us going down, getting relegated, the same way I can’t look and think ‘Right, if we win this game we are going to get top half’ or anything higher than that because we just have to keep trying to win games. If we do that, we will end up where we deserve to end up.
“The lads are buying into what we are doing and the information we are giving them, and it is the players who have to take the credit.
“They are taking responsibility, they are working hard each day in training and they are showing a great desire to play for this club and to win for this club, and that is all I can ask of them.
“My job now, and the coaches’ job now is to try and keep this run going and try and build momentum. The players deserve a lot of credit for the last two months.”
Watford manager Xisco Munoz has backed his players to cope with the extended absence of club captain Troy Deeney as they chase promotion.
A scan has revealed Deeney suffered damage to his Achilles tendon in the draw at Coventry and he is set to be sidelined for several weeks, with Tom Cleverley keeping possession of the captain’s armband against Derby.
“We need to come into the game with a big intensity, be clever and have maximum aggression,” Munoz said. “We know we have a big challenge, we have in front of us a very good team, so it’s important to have a good mentality.
“Troy is the captain all the time, but other experienced players are out too, like (Ben) Foster, like (Christian) Kabasele.
“It’s important the experienced players stay with us, and also the captains every time help us on and off the pitch. Now is the moment for other leaders to give their maximum on the pitch.”
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