Phillip Cocu has indicated that he’s keen to see more of Jack Marriott and Chris Martin in a two-man attack for Derby County.
Cocu deployed a new-look midfield diamond for last weekend’s 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough, with Marriott and Martin starting up front together.
It was the first time this season that Cocu has opted for a two-man strike force and he was impressed with how the duo combined in the victory.
Playing at the top of the diamond, directly behind the front two, was Tom Lawrence and he scored both goals as Derby claimed all three points against Boro.
In the build-up to Saturday’s local derby encounter at Nottingham Forest (12:30pm kick-off), Cocu believes Marriott and Martin match up well as a pair as a result of their differing attributes.
Speaking to RamsTV, Cocu explained: “They are two players with different qualities, but they match up good in the team.
“They benefit from the qualities they both have.
“Tom Lawrence is in a good moment too so we can be happy with the performance of the team and the most important thing for us now is to perform in an away game, because there is a big game coming up on Saturday.”
Cocu has been forced to shuffle his pack on several occasions this season owing to injuries, suspensions and the search for consistency in team performance and results.
However, the team has had a more settled look to it in recent weeks and Cocu feels as a result an understanding is developing across various areas of the pitch.
The 49-year-old is confident his side are moving in the right direction, but believes there’s more to come.
He said: “You can see that we are becoming a bit more settled.
“Krystian Bielik and Graeme Shinnie have played some games together so it’s natural that the understanding between them is getting better. Not only between them but the rest of the players as well.
“The game play is improving so we have to keep on combining this way of football and make sure we have the right attitude and spirit to win games.
“If we can continue doing it then we will show more consistency in the results.”