Eustace has one Derby wish granted – but a major issue is ringing the alarm

Derby County's search for a home win in the Championship continues as they were beaten at Pride Park by Birmingham City this afternoon in a game marred by a serious injury to Henrik Meister. Blues came from behind to seal a 2-1 win after Bobby Clark had given Derby the lead, but more charitable defending cost the hosts who forced themselves in front through Carlos Vicente and then Paik Seung-Ho.

But immediate thoughts will be with Meister who was carried off on a stretcher after taking a tumble with nobody around him early in the second half having suffered a blow to the head.

The striker had given the Blues plenty to think about early on with some strong running, but it was Birmingham who created the first moment of danger when Rian Cashin was forced to clear under his own crossbar.

That earned Blues a corner from which August Priske headed narrowly over the bar before Mo Fuseini was close to meeting a cross from Szmodics at the near post. Carlos Vicente then curled narrowly over the bar for the visitors before Derby took the lead when a cross from Joe Ward was kept alive by Carlton Morris who headed down for Sam Szmodics.

The striker waited for the run of Clark who received the pass to drill past James Beadle at his near post. But Blues were level before half-time when Vicente snuck in at the back post to head Liam Millar's cross past Zetterstrom. Derby then suffered another injury just after the break and it was a serious one too as Meister had to be carried off on a stretcher and falling to the ground.

After a lengthy stoppage, Fuseini then forced a save from Beadle but Blues were ahead when substitute Paik Seung-Ho headed in Liam Millar's corner on the goalline. Zetterstrom then denied Vicente and pulled off a super stop to thwart Stansfield.

Derby pushed for an equaliser as Sam Szmodics and Carlton Morris both had goalbound shots blocked on a frustrating afternoon.

Keep the back door shut

Despite all the modern stats thrown at football fans these days, whether it's XG or PPDA, the game has always hinged on being ruthless in both boxes. It's not exactly quantum physics, but when you're leaking goals as Derby are at this moment in time, it really doesn't matter what happens elsewhere. It was another game where the opposition didn't have to work particularly hard to secure victory, a familiar tale that will be eating away at Eustace, who did well to temper his frustration at the ease with which Birmingham scored.

After Bobby Clark had opened the scoring before half-time, the equaliser that followed a minute later was alarmingly soft. Once Clark lost the ball, Joe Ward half-heartedly stuck out a leg, the cross came in, Charlie Taylor was on his heels, and Carlos Vicente put Birmingham's tails up right before the break.

But if that was not irritating enough, Paik Seung-Ho's header from Liam Millar's corner was a gift, and the build-up that led to a set-piece was a result of frustrating hesitation. Even so, Zetterstrom wasn't strong enough on his goalline and Eiran Cashin was beaten to the punch. But it epitomised the soft nature of a team which needs to quickly find its teeth defensively, particularly as Matt Clarke won't be back to answer the SOS for another two months.

It doesn't matter how well Derby did between the boxes or that they had 66 per cent possession; it's what happens in them that counts. There has been a lot of talk about Derby's lack of firepower, but without a solid base, the entire conversation is redundant. Derby are not a team whose mantra is you score two, we'll score three, particularly as the frontline needs time to build understanding and chemistry following the recent arrivals of Mo Fuseini and Henrik Meister. There was an improvement going forward, as the goal underlined, but that is being undermined by the issues at the back.

As it stands, four points from six games is actually one fewer than Derby had at the same stage last season, although that slow start ultimately gave way to a run which carried them to eighth.

But the defence is another item for Eustace's in-tray, and it's arguably the most important of them all.

The art of communication

In light of Derby's defensive issues, a lack of leadership is proving to be a real problem, which isn't being helped by an absence of communication. Mix-ups like the one witnessed in the first half, when Jacob Widell Zetterstrom rushed off his line on two occasions, could have been avoided with clearer communication.

Zetterstrom should have been ringing the ears of everybody in Pride Park, but there was barely a noise, which only served to induce moments of panic, first with Eiran Cashin and then Sondre Langas. It's a problem affecting this Derby team. In the moments when neither section of the fans were singing, you couldn't really hear a peep.

It is such a crucial component of the game because players need to be each other's eyes and ears. With it comes organisation, better decision-making and, crucially, an awareness of things they cannot see for themselves. For all of the criticism that Lewis Travis receives from some corners of the fanbase, he's an effective communicator.

As they say, it's good to talk.

Clark is granting Eustace's wish

It was not so long ago that John Eustace revealed he had spoken to Bobby Clark about improving his numbers in the final third, and the former Liverpool man is certainly taking that on board. He now has two assists and two goals in the opening seven games.

One more in each column and he will have equalled his entire output in 42 games last season. Clark's goal here was the end of some clever work from Sam Szmodics and a run from deep midfield that Birmingham failed to track. There have been flashes of some good link-up play, particularly with Clark and Szmodics, while Mo Fuseini looks like he will also fit in nicely once he becomes accustomed to everybody's movements.

Goals from midfield are so important, and Clark certainly has the ability, not to mention quality, to get himself into double figures. He had to play a deeper role here, but knowing he had the insurance policy of David Ozoh behind him allowed him some free rein to support the attack.

The challenge now is to keep delivering a sustained contribution.

Thankfully, Henrik Meister appeared to have avoided a serious injury, although he had everybody inside Pride Park worried early in the second half. He went down with nobody around him which is always cause for alarm and the fact he needed a stretcher only reinforced the concern.

The forward left the stadium without assistance, but he will undergo concussion protocols, which will rule him out of next week's trip to Burnley.

It was a shame, too, because this was undoubtedly his best showing since he arrived at the club on loan from Pisa. He gave Birmingham plenty to consider in the opening stages and looked like he was enjoying himself. He's still very raw, but then so was Patrick Agyemang when he first arrived.

One thing that he will have to get used to is to keep his hands to himself. In his desperation to win possession, he tried to manhandle his way onto the ball, which was then invariably punished by a free-kick. But he's got terrific pace, which is a start, and with time, and hopefully work across the three-week international break, Eustace can help elements of his game just as he did with Agyemang.

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