John Eustace needs to unearth Paul Warne form out of Derby County player - starting v Blackburn Rovers | OneFootball

Kenzo Goudmijn started the season excellently, but he has trailed off in the last couple of months when he has been needed most.

Derby County's chances of staying in the Championship are getting smaller and smaller as the weeks go by, and what was once an exciting adventure has quickly turned into a nightmare that supporters cannot wake up out of.

Following Hull City's 2-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday evening, the Rams are now seven points off safety, and they continue to sit at the bottom of the league table, with just two points to their name since the turn of the year.

John Eustace's start to life in charge at Pride Park has been extremely difficult, with his new side losing all three of his first three matches in the dugout, conceding six goals and failing to find the back of the net at all.

Derby have found it difficult to cope in the second tier for a number of months and the players need to find a way to score goals and win games again immediately, otherwise relegation will become a reality sooner rather than later, with one summer signing needing to return to his form from earlier in the campaign.

Kenzo Goudmijn needs to show more of what he produced at the start of the season

Kenzo Goudmijn was brought to the East Midlands from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar in the summer for £600k, and he instantly hit it off in black-and-white, starting the season excellently.

He was a constant threat under Paul Warne in the first weeks of the Rams' return to the Championship, and he scored twice in his first five appearances in the league as his new team made a strong start.

However, as time went on and the loss of David Ozoh to injury became more prevalent, consistency started to dry up for the 23-year-old, and he found it harder and harder to get himself into positions where he could cause opponents issues.

Instead, he was forced to watch the ball bypass him and the rest of the midfield as Warne focused on getting the ball down the wings and into the box as much as possible.

Goudmijn has registered only two assists this season, with his most recent coming against West Bromwich Albion in Derby's last victory in the Championship.

Eustace has not been able to get the most out of his Dutch midfielder, and this has to change quickly to help the Rams push back towards safety and fight against an impending relegation.

Goudmijn needs to start in a more attacking role against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday

Frustrations have grown as the season has gone on at Pride Park, and with such little to celebrate in 2025, something needs to change quickly to ensure that the team go out with their heads held high even if they do return to League One.

This starts by putting the Rams' best ball-playing midfielder in an attacking position and allowing him to form a connection with Jerry Yates or Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, starting against Blackburn Rovers.

Eustace knows that time is running out to fix this situation and Derby do look likely to be playing in the third tier next season, but if he can unlock Goudmijn, he may just be able to slow down some of the damage and the campaign positively.

If the former AZ man can re-find his form, then the Rams will be in a much better position out on the pitch, and they will become more of a threat up front once again, something that must happen against his head coach's former club, Blackburn.