Derby County manager Steve McClaren has said that his side “didn’t have that quality” in Tuesday’s goalless draw against strugglers Burton Albion.
The Rams were held by a spirited Brewers side at Pride Park, with Darren Bent going closest, somehow spooning an effort over the crossbar from very close range.
It was a match that the home side dominated, but lacked the finishing touches to put the game to bed, and the result very much comes across as two points dropped rather than one gained from McClaren’s point of view.
Speaking about the result, he told the Derby Telegraph: “It was always going to be that when we saw the line up; a yellow brick wall, banks of four and six.
“It was just a case of getting the first goal. It was important to keep a clean sheet. We said if we keep a clean sheet, we won’t lose, we will win the game.
“We should have done, with 14 shots and enough possession. We have gone from scoring six goals in two games to failing to score”.
The former Newcastle United and England manager, who is currently in his second spell in charge of the Rams, also highlighted his side’s crucial lack of quality in the final third.
“We didn’t have that quality. If we had been playing for the next two days, we still wouldn’t have scored.”
Derby have fallen away from the promotion race in recent weeks; they currently sit in eleventh place, ten points behind sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday, after being in the playoff positions for much of the campaign up to now.
They take on an out-of-form Aston Villa side this weekend, as they look to make a return to winning ways.
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